function validDate(fld) {
    var testMo, testDay, testYr, inpMo, inpDay, inpYr, msg
    var inp = fld.value
    status = ""
    // attempt to create date object from input data
    var testDate = new Date(inp)
    // extract pieces from date object
    testMo = testDate.getMonth() + 1
    testDay = testDate.getDate()
    testYr = testDate.getFullYear()
    // extract components of input data
    inpMo = parseInt(inp.substring(0, inp.indexOf("/")), 10)
    inpDay = parseInt(inp.substring((inp.indexOf("/") + 1), inp.lastIndexOf("/")), 10)
    inpYr = parseInt(inp.substring((inp.lastIndexOf("/") + 1), inp.length), 10)
    // make sure parseInt() succeeded on input components
    
    
    if (isNaN(inpMo) || isNaN(inpDay) || isNaN(inpYr)) {
        msg = "There is some problem with your date entry."
      
    }
    // make sure conversion to date object succeeded
    if (isNaN(testMo) || isNaN(testDay) || isNaN(testYr)) {
        msg = "Couldn't convert your entry to a valid date. Try again."
        
    }
    // make sure values match
    if (testMo != inpMo || testDay != inpDay || testYr != inpYr) {
        msg = "Check the range of your date value."
      
    }
        
    // convert the text year to a number
    var numYear = 0;
var inpYrS= new String(inpYr);
    for (var x=0; x < inpYrS.length; x++) {
        digit = inpYrS.substring(x, x+1);
        numYear *= 10;
        numYear += parseInt(digit);
     
}    
        
     // Year must be a 2-digit year or a 4-digit year
    if ( (inpYrS.length != 2) && (inpYrS.length != 4) ) {msg = "You have entered an invalid year."   }
    // if 2-digit year, use 50 as a pivot date
    if ( (numYear < 50) && (inpYrS.length == 2) ) { numYear += 2000; }
    if ( (numYear < 100) && (inpYrS.length == 2) ) { numYear += 1900; }
    if ((numYear <= 0) || (numYear > 9999)) { msg = "You have entered an invalid year."   }
    // check for leap year if the month and day is Feb 29
    if ((inpMo== 2) && (inpDay == 29)) {
        var div4 = numYear % 4;
        var div100 = numYear % 100;
        var div400 = numYear % 400;

        // if not divisible by 4, then not a leap year so Feb 29 is invalid
        if (div4 != 0) {    msg = "You have entered an invalid Date." }
        // at this point, year is divisible by 4. So if year is divisible by
        // 100 and not 400, then it's not a leap year so Feb 29 is invalid
        if ((div100 == 0) && (div400 != 0)) {    msg = "You have entered an invalid Date."   }    
        }
    
    if (msg) {
        // there's a message, so something failed
        alert(msg)
        // work around IE timing problem with alert by
        // invoking a focus/select function through setTimeout();
        // must pass along reference of fld (as string)
        setTimeout("doSelection(document.forms['" + 
        fld.form.name + "'].elements['" + fld.name + "'])", 0)
        return false
    } else {
        // everything's OK; if browser supports new date method,
        // show just date string in status bar
      status = (testDate.toLocaleDateString) ? testDate.toLocaleDateString() : 
            "Date OK"
        return true
    }
}

// separate function to accommodate IE timing problem
function doSelection(fld) {
    fld.focus()
    fld.select()
}