--- loncom/interface/loncommon.pm	2004/11/02 19:01:12	1.225
+++ loncom/interface/loncommon.pm	2004/11/02 20:48:02	1.226
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
 # a pile of common routines
 #
-# $Id: loncommon.pm,v 1.225 2004/11/02 19:01:12 matthew Exp $
+# $Id: loncommon.pm,v 1.226 2004/11/02 20:48:02 albertel Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ use Apache::lonnet();
 use GDBM_File;
 use POSIX qw(strftime mktime);
 use Apache::Constants qw(:common :http :methods);
-use Apache::lonmsg();
 use Apache::lonmenu();
 use Apache::lonlocal;
 use HTML::Entities;
@@ -1741,21 +1740,26 @@ sub get_related_words {
 
 =over 4
 
-=item * plainname($uname,$udom)
+=item * plainname($uname,$udom,$first)
 
 Takes a users logon name and returns it as a string in
-"first middle last generation" form
+"first middle last generation" form 
+if $first is set to 'lastname' then it returns it as
+'lastname generation, firstname middlename' if their is a lastname
 
 =cut
 
 ###############################################################
 sub plainname {
-    my ($uname,$udom)=@_;
+    my ($uname,$udom,$first)=@_;
     my %names=&Apache::lonnet::get('environment',
                     ['firstname','middlename','lastname','generation'],
 					 $udom,$uname);
-    my $name=$names{'firstname'}.' '.$names{'middlename'}.' '.
-	$names{'lastname'}.' '.$names{'generation'};
+    my $name=&Apache::lonnet::format_name($names{'firstname'},
+					  $names{'middlename'},
+					  $names{'lastname'},
+					  $names{'generation'},$first);
+    $name=~s/^\s+//;
     $name=~s/\s+$//;
     $name=~s/\s+/ /g;
     if ($name !~ /\S/) { $name=$uname.'@'.$udom; }