useRanges

function useRanges() {
 var oRange1 = document.createRange();
 var oRange2 = document.createRange();
 var oP1 = document.getElementById("p1");
 var iP1Index = -1;
 for (var i=0; i < oP1.parentNode.childNodes.length; i++) {
 if (oP1.parentNode.childNodes[i] == oP1) {
 iP1Index = i;
 break;
 }
 }
 
 oRange1.setStart(oP1.parentNode, iP1Index);
 oRange1.setEnd(oP1.parentNode, iP1Index + 1);
 oRange2.setStart(oP1, 0);
 oRange2.setEnd(oP1, oP1.childNodes.length);
 //textbox assignments here
}