var req;

function makeRequest(url) 
{
    var httpRequest;

    if (window.XMLHttpRequest) { // Mozilla, Safari, ...
        httpRequest = new XMLHttpRequest();
        if (httpRequest.overrideMimeType) {
            httpRequest.overrideMimeType('text/xml');
            // See note below about this line
        }
    } 
    else if (window.ActiveXObject) { // IE
        try {
            httpRequest = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
            } 
            catch (e) {
                       try {
                            httpRequest = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
                           } 
                         catch (e) {}
                      }
                                   }

    if (!httpRequest) {
        alert('Giving up :( Cannot create an XMLHTTP instance');
        return false;
    }
    httpRequest.onreadystatechange = function() { alertContents(httpRequest); };
    httpRequest.open('GET', url, false);
    httpRequest.send(null);

}

function alertContents(httpRequest) {

    if (httpRequest.readyState == 4) {
        if (httpRequest.status == 200) {
            req = httpRequest.responseText;
        } else {
            req = 'There was a problem with the request.';
        }
    }

}
function showDialog(htmlpage)
{
//document.getElementById("emailButton").src = "../images/mozilla_blu.gif";
makeRequest(htmlpage);
Dialog.alert(req, 
{windowParameters: {className: "alphacube", width:250, height:200}, okLabel: "close", 
ok:function(win) {debug("validate alert panel"); return true;}, cancel:function(win) {debug("validate cancel panel"); return true;}});
}