/* --------------------------------
** FUNCTION:
**   fnGetNameFromNameValueString 
** DESCRIPTION:
**   This function extracts the text of the name
**   item in a name=value format string.
**   for example:
**     if the name, value string is
**     employee=joseph
**     Then the function should return 'employee' as
**     a text string
**   An assumption is made that the name field cannot
**   contain any 'escaped' characters, such as the
**   delimiter character. Escaping means to place another
**   character (such as '\' normally) in front of a
**   particular character that would other wise be
**   interpreted incorrectly by some program.

** DEPENDENCIES:
**   fnStripLeadingSpaceFromString
**   fnStripTrailingSpaceFromString
** SEE ALSO:
** DATE:
** 
   -------------------------------- */

function fnGetNameFromNameValueString(sString, sDelimiter) 
{

  if (sDelimiter == null)
    { sDelimiter = "="; }

  if (sString == null)
  {
    //-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->
    //-- write out some nasty error message
    //-- somewhere, mortally insulting the programmer
    //-- for such a ridiculous error
    return -1;
  }

  var sReturn = sString;
  var iIndexOfDelimiter = -1;

  sReturn = fnStripLeadingSpaceFromString(sReturn);
  iIndexOfDelimiter = sReturn.indexOf(sDelimiter);

  //-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->
  //-- Case:
  //--   The delimiter is not found in the
  //--   'name/value' string.

  if (iIndexOfDelimiter == -1)
  {
    sReturn = "";
    return sReturn;
  }

  sReturn = sReturn.substring(0, iIndexOfDelimiter);
  sReturn = fnStripTrailingSpaceFromString(sReturn);

  return sReturn;

} //-- fnGetNameFromNameValueString()