<textarea cols="40" rows="8" name="alerttext" onkeypress="return imposeMaxLength(event, this, 249);" id="editor1"></textarea>
<script type="text/javascript">
function imposeMaxLength(Event, Object, MaxLen)
{
return (Object.value.length <= MaxLen)||(Event.keyCode == 8 ||Event.keyCode==46||(Event.keyCode>=35&&Event.keyCode<=40))
}
</script>