/* --------------------------------
** FUNCTION:
**   fnStripLeadingSpaceFromString 
** DESCRIPTION:
**   This function strips 'whitespace' from the beginning
**   of a specified string. In this case whitespace is
**   defined as space and tab characters, and newlines
** DEPENDENCIES:
** SEE ALSO:
**   fnStripEndingSpaceFromString
** DATE:
** 
   -------------------------------- */

function fnStripLeadingSpaceFromString(sString, sWhiteSpaceIndicator) 
{
  //-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->
  //-- The sWhiteSpaceIndicator variable is a way
  //-- of indicating what sort of white space should be
  //-- removed from the beginning of the specified
  //-- string. If this variable contains 'n' then
  //-- newline characters will be removed
  //-- (\n escape characters) if 't' then tabs (\t)
  //-- etc

  if (sWhiteSpaceIndicator == null)
    { sWhiteSpaceIndicator = "snt"; }

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




  var sRemoveWhiteSpace = new String("");
  var iLength           = sString.length;
  var cCurrentCharacter = new String("");
  var sReturn           = new String("");

  if (sWhiteSpaceIndicator.indexOf("n") > -1)
    { sRemoveWhiteSpace += "\n"; }

  if (sWhiteSpaceIndicator.indexOf("t") > -1)
    { sRemoveWhiteSpace += "\t"; }

  if (sWhiteSpaceIndicator.indexOf("s") > -1)
    { sRemoveWhiteSpace += " "; }


  /* -->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->
  OLD CODE

  for (var ii = 0; ii < iLength; ii++)
  {
    cCurrentCharacter = sString.substring(ii, ii + 1);
    if
    (
      (cCurrentCharacter != " ") &&
      (cCurrentCharacter != "\t") &&
      (cCurrentCharacter != "\n")
    )
    {
      sReturn = sString.substring(ii, iLength);
      return sReturn;
    } //-- if
  } //--for

  */

  for (var ii = 0; ii < iLength; ii++)
  {
    cCurrentCharacter = sString.substring(ii, ii + 1);

    if (sRemoveWhiteSpace.indexOf(cCurrentCharacter) == -1)
    {
      sReturn = sString.substring(ii, iLength);
      return sReturn;
    } //-- if
  } //--for


} //-- fnStripLeadingSpaceFromString()