Can filemaker receive variables/parameters from Javascript? If so, how is this accomplished?

This is a quite general question which leads to a complicated field.

As you may know, JavaScript is a (mostly) web-based technology. There is no link to the script language used by FileMaker. You need to turn on custom web publishing (CWP). For this you need either FileMaker Server Advanced 7 or 8 or FileMaker Unlimited 6.

E.g. in FMSA 8 CWP you can send queries with JavaScript, for example by using location.href or by using the XMLHttpRequest object that is one of the basic ingredients of AJAX.

Hmmm...perhaps a little more info:

I am creating a scholarship database for my department at school. As part of it I am developing an online application that utilizes IWP. The university maintains a database that houses all of the student information. I would like the students to login with their university credentials (via the university's login) and then have one variable (student ID #) passed to a script or something else in IWP. The script would then enter that in to identify the student's record in my FM database. The file runs using the guest account, which I have using a customized privilege set. Their login has no bearing upon their access privileges, it just simply serves as a security checkpoint to identify that the user's identity is genuine, provided they know their university login and password (which I do not want to manage myself).

Is there a way to accomplish this using my current setup (with IWP)?

Or do I need to convert my existing setup to CWP? ...and if so, can I easily use the same Layouts that I've already created?

P.S. Not familiar with CWP

Thanks for the info so far Martin