v_fields = new Array('sender_name','sender_subject','sender_email','sender_forward','sender_phone','sender_message');
alert_on = true;
thanks_on = true; 
thanks_message = "Thank you. Your message has been sent.";	

	function validateForm(){
		
		
		//alert(v_fields);
		
		//init errors
		var err = "";
		
		var phone_field = document.getElementById('sender_phone_x').value;
		var name_field = document.getElementById('sender_name_x').value;
		var email_field = document.getElementById('sender_email_x').value;
		var message_field = document.getElementById('sender_message_x').value;
		
		if(!isPhoneX(phone_field)){ err += "Please enter a valid phone number so we can get back to you.\n";}
		alert("hi1");
		if(!isAlphaX(name_field)){ err += "Please enter your name, we'd like to know who we're talking to.\n";}
		alert("hi2");
		if(!isEmailX(email_field)){ err += "Please enter a working email address for yourself.\n";}
		alert("hi3");
		if(!isTextX(message_field)){ err += "Please enter a message.\n";}
		alert("hi4");
		//start checking fields
		
		
		/*
		for(i=0;i<v_fields.length;i++){
			
			if(v_fields[i] == "sender_subject"){
				//alert("b");
				if(!isAlpha(_thisfield)){ err += "Please enter a subject.\n";}
				//alert(err);
			}else if(v_fields[i] == "sender_forward"){
				//alert("d");
				if(!isForward(_thisfield)){ err += "Please enter a working email address to forward this message to.\n";}
				//alert(err);
			}else if(v_fields[i] == "sender_url"){
				//alert("e");
				if(!isURL(_thisfield)){ err += "Please enter a valid URL\n";}
				//alert(err);
			}
			
			
		}
		*/
		if(err != ""){ 
			if(alert_on){
				alert("The following errors have occurred\n"+err);
			}else{
				showErrors(err);
			}
			
			return false;
		
		}
		//return false;
		return true;
	}
	
	//function to show errors in HTML
	function showErrors(str){
		var err = str.replace(/\n/g,"<br />");
		document.getElementById("form_errors").innerHTML = err;
		document.getElementById("form_errors").style.display = "block";
	
	}
	
	//function to show thank you message in HTML
	function showThanks(str){
		var tym = str.replace(/\n/g,"<br />");
		document.getElementById("form_thanks").innerHTML = tym;
		document.getElementById("form_thanks").style.display = "block";
	
	}
	
	function isEmailX(str){
	if(str == "") return false;
	var regex = /^[^\s()<>@,;:\/]+@\w[\w\.-]+\.[a-z]{2,}$/i;
	return regex.test(str);
	}
	
	function isForward(str){
	if(str == "") return false;
	var regex = /^[^\s()<>@,;:\/]+@\w[\w\.-]+\.[a-z]{2,}$/i;
	return regex.test(str);
	}
	
	function isTextX(str){
		if(str == "") return false;
		return true;
	}
	
	function isURL(str){
		var regex = /[a-zA-Z0-9\.\/:]+/;
		return regex.test(str);
	}
	
	// returns true if the number is formatted in the following ways:
	// (000)000-0000, (000) 000-0000, 000-000-0000, 000.000.0000, 000 000 0000, 0000000000
	function isPhoneX(str){
		
		var regex = /^\(?[2-9]\d{2}[\)\.-]?\s?\d{3}[\s\.-]?\d{4}$/;
		return regex.test(str);
	}
	
	// returns true if the string contains A-Z, a-z or 0-9 or . or # only
	function isAddress(str){
		var regex = /[^a-zA-Z0-9\#\.]/g;
		if (regex.test(str)) return true;
		return false;
	}
	
	// returns true if the string is 5 digits
	function isZip(str){
		var regex = /\d{5,}/;
		if(regex.test(str)) return true;
		return false;
	}
	
	// returns true if the string contains A-Z or a-z only
	function isAlphaX(str){
		
		var regex = /[a-zA-Z]/g;
		return regex.test(str);
	}
	
	// returns true if the string contains A-Z or a-z or 0-9 only
	function isAlphaNumeric(str){
		var regex = /[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g;
		if (regex.test(str)) return false;
		return true;
	}