--- loncom/localize/lonlocal.pm	2003/10/04 20:49:40	1.19
+++ loncom/localize/lonlocal.pm	2003/10/08 18:21:38	1.22
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
 # Localization routines
 #
-# $Id: lonlocal.pm,v 1.19 2003/10/04 20:49:40 www Exp $
+# $Id: lonlocal.pm,v 1.22 2003/10/08 18:21:38 bowersj2 Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ use POSIX qw(locale_h);
 require Exporter;
 
 our @ISA = qw (Exporter);
-our @EXPORT = qw(mt);
+our @EXPORT = qw(mt mtn ns);
 
 my $reroute;
 
@@ -210,8 +210,11 @@ sub mt (@) {
 # ============================================================== What language?
 
 sub current_language {
-    my $lang=$lh->maketext('language_code');
-    return ($lang eq 'language_code'?'en':$lang);
+    if ($lh) {
+	my $lang=$lh->maketext('language_code');
+	return ($lang eq 'language_code'?'en':$lang);
+    }
+    return 'en';
 }
 
 # ============================================================== What encoding?
@@ -329,8 +332,32 @@ sub normalize_string {
     my $s = shift;
     $s =~ s/\s+/ /g;
     $s =~ s/<[^>]+>//g;
+    # Pop off beginning or ending spaces, which aren't good
+    $s =~ s/^\s+//;
+    $s =~ s/\s+$//;
     return $s;
 }
+
+# alias for normalize_string; recommend using it only in the lexicon
+sub ns {
+    return normalize_string(@_);
+}
+
+# mtn: call the mt function and the normalization function easily.
+# Returns original non-normalized string if there was no translation
+sub mtn (@) {
+    my @args = @_; # don't want to modify caller's string; if we
+		   # didn't care about that we could set $_[0]
+		   # directly
+    $args[0] = normalize_string($args[0]);
+    my $translation = &mt(@args);
+    if ($translation ne $args[0]) {
+	return $translation;
+    } else {
+	return $_[0];
+    }
+}
+
 1;
 
 __END__