Passing a variable to javascript

//from snippet

<a href="'.$am_link.'"><img src="'.$am_img.'" id="'.$am_rec_id.'" onclick="Amhit()" border="0" alt=""  ></a> 

// javascript in external file

  function Amhit('.$am_rec_id.')
{
var recid=document.getElementById('.$am_rec_id.').innerHTML;
alert("you clicked on rec id!" + recid.innerHTML );
}

// snippet should contain something like this:
$output =<<<MARQUIS
<a href="$am_link" onclick="deSade('$am_rec_id');"><img src="$am_img" border="0" alt="Click to visit $am_link" /></a>
MARQUIS

return($output);



// JS
// load an Ajax library (e.g. http://js.fleegix.org/)
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/fleegix.js"></script>

function msg(resp) {
	alert(resp);
}

function deSade(recid) {
	fleegix.xhr.doGet(msg, 'hitcounter.php?recid='+recid, 'text');
}


// hitcounter.php is basically just:
// a) some mySQL query that updates your DB-table, according to the $_GET['recid'] value
// b) a simple message that will be output to the browser (msg JS function), e.g.
echo "Record ID $recid has been updated!";

<?php

//echo "Record ID $recid has been updated!"; //-- works great with just this

//-- added this in an attempt to stop fatal error msg
global $table;

$basePath = $modx->config['base_path'];
$siteURL = $modx->config['site_url'];
$tb_prefix = $modx->db->config['table_prefix'];
//-- didn't stop error though :(


if ($recid !=""){

$table = $modx->getFullTableName('clicklog');
$rs = $modx->db->select('clicks', $table, 'id="'. $recid .'"');
		$row = $modx->db->getRow($rs);
		$hits = $row['clicks'];
		
		$hit = $hits++;
		
		$rows_affected = $modx->db->update("clicks = '.$hit.'", $table, "'id='.$recid.'"); 
		
		
 echo "Record ID $recid has been updated!";

 } else {
echo "update failed - no id!!";
}
?>