// Written by:	Darren Gates & Ray Klefstad
// Date:	January 2000
// School:	U.C. Irvine

// #1: Sum of ASCII values

	int result = 0;

	for (int i = 0; i < value.length(); i++)
	{
		result += value.charAt(i);
	}
	return result % buf.length;

// #2: Product of ASCII values

	int result = 1;

	for (int i = 0; i < value.length(); i++)
	{
		result *= value.charAt(i);
	}
	return result % buf.length;

// #3: Built-in Java hashCode() function

	return Math.abs(value.hashCode()) % buf.length; 

// #4: Bit-shifter hash function from 'Data Structures
       and Algorithms', p. 208, by Bruno R. Preiss
          
	int r = 0;
   
	static final int shift = 6;
	static final int mask = ~0 << (32-shift);
            
	for (int i = 0; i< value.length(); i++)
		r = (r & mask) ^ (r << shift) ^ value.charAt(i);
                
	return Math.abs(r) % buf.length;