--- loncom/interface/loncommon.pm	2008/09/11 15:15:29	1.684
+++ loncom/interface/loncommon.pm	2008/09/11 21:05:19	1.685
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
 # a pile of common routines
 #
-# $Id: loncommon.pm,v 1.684 2008/09/11 15:15:29 www Exp $
+# $Id: loncommon.pm,v 1.685 2008/09/11 21:05:19 tempelho Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ use POSIX qw(strftime mktime);
 use Apache::lonmenu();
 use Apache::lonenc();
 use Apache::lonlocal;
+use Apache::lonnet();
 use HTML::Entities;
 use Apache::lonhtmlcommon();
 use Apache::loncoursedata();
@@ -9467,6 +9468,44 @@ sub _add_to_env {
     }
 }
 
+# --- Get the symbolic name of a problem and the url
+sub get_symb {
+    my ($request,$silent) = @_;
+    (my $url=$env{'form.url'}) =~ s-^http://($ENV{'SERVER_NAME'}|$ENV{'HTTP_HOST'})--;
+    my $symb=($env{'form.symb'} ne '' ? $env{'form.symb'} : (&Apache::lonnet::symbread($url)));
+    if ($symb eq '') {
+        if (!$silent) {
+            $request->print("Unable to handle ambiguous references:$url:.");
+            return ();
+        }
+    }
+    &Apache::lonenc::check_decrypt(\$symb);
+    return ($symb);
+}
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------Get annotation
+
+sub get_annotation {
+    my ($symb,$enc) = @_;
+
+    my $key = $symb;
+    if (!$enc) {
+        $key =
+            &Apache::lonnet::clutter((&Apache::lonnet::decode_symb($symb))[2]);
+    }
+    my %annotation=&Apache::lonnet::get('nohist_annotations',[$key]);
+    return $annotation{$key};
+}
+
+sub clean_symb {
+    my ($symb) = @_;
+
+    &Apache::lonenc::check_decrypt(\$symb);
+    my $enc = $env{'request.enc'};
+    delete($env{'request.enc'});
+
+    return ($symb,$enc);
+}
 
 =pod