Passing value of textarea input as part of URL leaves out CR/LFs

[korggrok]

I have a dialog window that pops up from the main app browser window.
The window contains a form (name="savechan ges") that includes an input
(name="sql") that is a textarea input.

The dialog window includes a button:

<INPUT TYPE=SUBMIT VALUE="Test SQL" OnClick="javasc ript:openWin3('/cgi-
bin/eisweb.exe?
uni=67BD&action =TestSQL&viewna me=EISWEB_TESTS QL.SQL&forcereg en=true&sql='+s avechanges.sql. value);return
false;">

The intent is to start yet another browser window (intentionally full-
screen) and pass the URL, including as a parameter the contents of the
textarea input (sql).

function openWin3(URL){
var today= new Date();
var day= today.getDate() ;
var month= today.getMonth( )+1;
var year= today.getFullYe ar();
aWindow =
window.open(URL +'&today='+mont h+'/'+day
+'/'+year,'tablewi ndow','toolbar= no,location=yes ,directories=no ,status=yes,men ubar=yes,resiza ble=yes,copyhis tory=no,scrollb ars=yes,fullscr een=no,width=80 0,height=600,le ft=0,top=0');
}

The problem is that when the contents of the textarea input are
passed, it omits any and all carriage return/line feed characters that
are part of text in the textarea. Only spaces are passed, in the form
of %20....

Ordinarily, when this form is executed, the GET method seems to pass
the information intact. It's this extra Test button that's giving me
problems...

Mark