how can i use js to take a text which is highlighted on a web page as a string

[jd2007]

for e.g. i want to use in a textarea. its something like this forum. when i type a text, i highlight it and i click the B button, it turns bold...i want a same concept like that...give me an idea/hint...

[lighton]

perhaps you can use an event listener to record the movement of the mouse to find out where to insert the [b/][//b] for example on mousedown to indicate the begining of the string and onmouseup where the end of the string is, i have no idea if this would work or whether recording this kind of the data would be useful in a textbox but its a hint? I suck at javascript 

[AndyB]

Do you mean sometging like http://tinymce.moxiecode.com/

[lighton]

just found that it shoudl help

 

http://www.phpfreaks.com/forums/index.php/topic,144579.0.html