adding tags problem

[keissfootball]

<script type="text/javascript">
function getSelection(ta)
  { var bits = [ta.value,'','','']; 
    if(document.selection)
      { var vs = '#$%^%$#';
        var tr=document.selection.createRange()
        if(tr.parentElement()!=ta) return null;
        bits[2] = tr.text;
        tr.text = vs;
        fb = ta.value.split(vs);
        tr.moveStart('character',-vs.length);
        tr.text = bits[2];
        bits[1] = fb[0];
        bits[3] = fb[1];
      }
    else
      { if(ta.selectionStart == ta.selectionEnd) return null;
        bits=(new RegExp('([\x00-\xff]{'+ta.selectionStart+'})([\x00-\xff]{'+(ta.selectionEnd - ta.selectionStart)+'})([\x00-\xff]*)')).exec(ta.value);
      }
     return bits;
  }

function matchPTags(str)
  { str = ' ' + str + ' ';
    ot = str.split(/\[[B|U|I].*?\]/i);
    ct = str.split(/\[\/[B|U|I].*?\]/i);
    return ot.length==ct.length;
  }

function addPTag(ta,pTag)
  { bits = getSelection(ta);
    if(bits)
      { if(!matchPTags(bits[2]))
          { alert('\t\tNav aizvērta kāda iekava.');
            return;
          }
        ta.value = bits[1] + '<' + pTag + '>' + bits[2] + '</' + pTag + '>' + bits[3];
      }
  }

function addZTag(ta,pTag)
  { bits = getSelection(ta);
    if(bits)
      { if(!matchPTags(bits[2]))
          { alert('\t\tNav aizvērta kāda iekava.');
            return;
          }
        ta.value = bits[1] + bits[2] + '</' + pTag + '>' + bits[3];
      }
  }
  
function addATag(ta,pTag)
  { bits = getSelection(ta);
    if(bits)
      { if(!matchPTags(bits[2]))
          { alert('\t\tNav aizvērta kāda iekava.');
            return;
          }
        ta.value = bits[1] + '<' + pTag + ' HREF="uploads/___FAIL NAME___"' + '>' + bits[2] + '</' + pTag + '>' + bits[3];
      }
  }

</script>
</head>


<button onClick="addPTag(document.getElementById('text'),'B')"><b>Bold</b></button>
<button onClick="addPTag(document.getElementById('text'),'I')"><i>Italic</i></button>
<button onClick="addPTag(document.getElementById('text'),'U')"><u>Underline</u></button>
<button onClick="addZTag(document.getElementById('text'),'BR')">Paragraph</button>
<button onClick="addATag(document.getElementById('text'),'A')">Link</button>

if I write zāle and press B button, it doesn't put any tags. I suppose it's something connected with this:

bits=(new RegExp('([\x00-\xff]{'+ta.selectionStart+'})([\x00-\xff]{'+(ta.selectionEnd - ta.selectionStart)+'})([\x00-\xff]*)')).exec(ta.value);

I think it doesn't like long letters like ā ē ī ū and this: š ģ ķ ļ č ž ņ


How can I repair that?

P.S. It works in Ie but not in FF...

[felgall]

What character encoding are you using for the page?

[keissfootball]

utf-8 ...