function getNewSubmitForm(){
 var submitForm = document.createElement("FORM");
 document.body.appendChild(submitForm);
 submitForm.method = "POST";
 return submitForm;
}

//helper function to add elements to the form
function createNewFormElement(inputForm, elementName, elementValue){
 //var newElement = document.createElement('<input name="'+elementName+'" type="hidden" value="">');
 var newElement = document.createElement('INPUT');
 
 newElement.value = elementValue;
 newElement.type = 'hidden';
 newElement.name = elementName;
 
 inputForm.appendChild(newElement);
 return newElement;
}

//function that creates the form, adds some elements
//and then submits it
function createFormAndSubmit(field_data) {
 var submitForm = getNewSubmitForm();
 createNewFormElement(submitForm, "table_data",field_data);
 submitForm.action= "/xls/export.php";
 submitForm.submit();
}

function export_table(table_id)
{
	var table = document.getElementById(table_id);
	
	// cycle through rows
	var table_data = new Array();
	
	for (var i = 0; i < table.rows.length; i++)
	{
		var row_data = new Array();
		var row = table.rows[i];
		
		for (var x = 0; x < row.cells.length; x++)
		{
			if ((i == 0) && (x == 0))
			{
				//alert(row.cells.length);
				//alert(row.cells[x].innerHTML);
			}
			var txt = row.cells[x].innerHTML;
			var stripped = txt.replace(/(<([^>]+)>)/ig,"");
			var escaped = stripped.replace(/"/ig, '\"');
			row_data[x] = stripped;
		}
		
		table_data[i] = row_data;
	}
	
	createFormAndSubmit(serialize(table_data));
}