var xmlhttp

function get_menu_data(family_id) {
    xmlhttp=GetXmlHttpObject();
    if (xmlhttp==null) {
        alert ("Sorry, but to use this form, your browser will need to support AJAX!\n\nPlease upgrade to a newer version and try again.");
        return;
    }

    var url="techreq_get_ajax_menus.jsp?family_id="+family_id;
    xmlhttp.onreadystatechange=state_changed;
    xmlhttp.open("POST", url, true);
    xmlhttp.send(null);
}

function state_changed() {
    if (xmlhttp.readyState==4) {
        document.getElementById("menus").innerHTML = xmlhttp.responseText;
    }
}

function GetXmlHttpObject() {
    if (window.XMLHttpRequest) {
        // code for IE7+, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari
        return new XMLHttpRequest();
    }
    if (window.ActiveXObject) {
        // code for IE6, IE5
        return new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
    }
    return null;
}