// Element.Storage API
// each element contains an ID attribute, which is the key of the Element.Storage hash
 
// storing separate pseudo-attributes on each element can cause memory leaks in IE,
// but by only holding the element's ID with the element, and then a hash of all the
// element's pseudo-attributes with the ID as a key we can reduce the memory leaks
// and only have one unique point of access for all elements, even if they have been
// removed from the document.
var Storage = {
    create: function (element) {
        if (typeof window.Element.Storage === 'undefined') {
            Element.Storage = new Hash();
        }
 
        element = $(element);
        var storage = Element.Storage,
        id = element.identify();
 
        if (!storage.keys().include(id)) {
            storage.set(id, new Hash());
        }
 
        return element;
    }
};
 
Element.addMethods({
    store: function (element, rules, value) {
        element = Storage.create(element);
        var storage = Element.Storage.get(element.identify()),
        attributes = { };
 
        if (typeof rules === 'object') {
            attributes = rules;
        } else {
            attributes[rules] = value;
        }
 
        for (var key in attributes) {
            if (attributes.hasOwnProperty(key) && typeof attributes[key] !== 'undefined') {
                storage.set(key, attributes[key]);
            }
        }
 
        return element;
    },
 
    retrieve: function (element, property_name, property_default_value) {
        element = Storage.create(element);
        var storage = Element.Storage.get(element.identify());
 
        if (!storage.keys().include(property_name)) {
            element.store(property_name, property_default_value);
        }
 
        return storage.get(property_name);
    },
 
    eliminate: function (element, property_name) {
        element = Storage.create(element);
        var storage = Element.Storage.get(element.identify());
 
        if (storage.keys().include(property_name)) {
            storage.unset(property_name);
        }
 
        return element;
    }
});