function renderLink(docEl, param) {
    var text = "";
    if (docEl.getType() == docEl.APPLICATION || docEl.getType() == docEl.PROTOTYPE) {
        text = docEl.getName();
    } else if (docEl.getType() == docEl.SKIN) {
        text = docEl.getName() + ".skin";
    } else if (docEl.getType() == docEl.MACRO) {
        if (param.handler != "false" && docEl.getParentElement() && docEl.getParentElement().getName() != "global") {
            text = docEl.getParentElement().getName() + ".";
        }
        var str = docEl.getName();
        if (str.indexOf("_macro")) {
            text += str.substring(0, str.length - 6);
        }
    } else if (docEl.getType() == docEl.FUNCTION) {
        text = docEl.getName() + "(";
        var arr = docEl.listParameters();
        for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
            text += arr[i];
            if (i < arr.length - 1)
                text += ",&nbsp;";
        }
        text += ")";
    } else {
        text = docEl.getName();
    }
    param.href = docEl.href("main");
    if (!param.target) {
        param.target = "main";
    }
    return renderLinkTag(param) + text + '</a>';
}


function renderLinkTag(param) {
    var sb = new java.lang.StringBuffer ();
    sb.append('<a');
    for (var i in param) {
        sb.append(' ');
        sb.append(i);
        sb.append('="');
        sb.append(param[i]);
        sb.append('"');
    }
    sb.append('>');
    return sb.toString();
}

/**
 * renders the name of the location of a doc element. 
 */
function renderLocation (docEl, param) {
    return docEl.toString();
}

/**
* renders tag list.
* @param param.skin skin to render on found DocTags
* @param param.separator String printed between tags
* @param param.type type string (param|return|author|version|see) to filter tags.
*/
function renderTags(docEl, param) {
    var skinname = (param.skin) ? param.skin : "main";
    var type = param.type;
    if (type == "params")
        type = "param";
    else if (type == "returns")
        type = "return";
    else if (type == "arg")
        type = "param";
    var str = "";
    var arr = docEl.listTags();
    for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
        if (arr[i].getType() == type) {
            if (type == "see" || type == "overrides") {
                param.link = renderReference(arr[i], docEl);
            }
            str += arr[i].renderSkinAsString(skinname, param);
            str += (param.separator) ? param.separator : "";
        }
    }
    return str;
}


/**
  * renders a reference to functions in other prototypes, masks
  * urls in a see tag
  * (see- and overrides-tags)
  * @param docTagObj
  * @param docEl needed to be able to walk up to application object
  */
function renderReference(docTagObj, docEl) {
    // prepare the text:
    var text = docTagObj.getText();
    text = new java.lang.String (text);
    text = text.trim();
    if (text.indexOf("http://") == 0) {
        // an url is a simple job
        return '<a href="' + text + '" target="_new">' + text + '</a>';
    } else {
        // make sure we only use the first item in the text so that unlinked comments
        // can follow, store & split the that
        var tok = new java.util.StringTokenizer (text);
        var tmp = tok.nextToken();
        text = " " + text.substring(tmp.length + 1);
        var parts = tmp.split(".");
        // try to find the application object
        var obj = docEl;
        while (obj != null) {
            if (obj.getType() == Packages.helma.doc.DocElement.APPLICATION) {
                var appObj = obj;
                break;
            }
            obj = obj.getParentElement();
        }
        var protoObj = appObj.getChildElement("prototype_" + parts[0]);
        if (protoObj == null) {
            // prototype wasn't found, return the unlinked tag
            return tmp + text;
        }
        if (parts.length == 1) {
            // no function specified, return the linked prototype
            return '<a href="' + protoObj.href("main") + '">' + format(tmp) + '</a>' + text;
        }
        // try to find  a function object:
        var arr = protoObj.listChildren();
        for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
            if (arr[i].getName() == parts [1]) {
                return '<a href="' + arr[i].href("main") + '">' + format(tmp) + '</a>' + text;
            }
        }
        // function not found:
        return tmp + text;
    }
}


/**
* function rendering a comment.
* @param param.length comment is shortened to the given length.
* @returns string
*/
function renderComment(docEl, param) {
    var str = docEl.getComment();
    if (param.length) {
        if (param.length < str.length) {
            return str.substring(0, param.length) + " ...";
        }
    }
    return str;
}