function xmlhttpPost(strURL) {
    var xmlHttpReq = false;
    var self = this;
    // Mozilla/Safari
    if (window.XMLHttpRequest) {
        self.xmlHttpReq = new XMLHttpRequest();
    }
    // IE
    else if (window.ActiveXObject) {
        self.xmlHttpReq = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
    }
    self.xmlHttpReq.open('POST', strURL, true);
    self.xmlHttpReq.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded');
    self.xmlHttpReq.onreadystatechange = function() {
        if (self.xmlHttpReq.readyState == 4) {
            updatepage(self.xmlHttpReq.responseText);
        }
    }
    self.xmlHttpReq.send(getquerystring());
}

function getquerystring() {
    var form     = document.forms['registo'];
    var word = form.pais.value;

//var scvalue = form.subcategoriahidden.value;
    qstr = 'w=' + escape(word)// NOTE: no '?' before querystring
    return qstr;
}

function updatepage(str){

document.getElementById("distritoDIV").innerHTML = str;
if (str!=""){
document.getElementById("distritoDIVtxt").innerHTML = 'Distrito*';}else{
document.getElementById("distritoDIVtxt").innerHTML = '';
document.getElementById("concelhoDIV").innerHTML = '';
document.getElementById("concelhoDIVtxt").innerHTML = '';
}
}