--- loncom/interface/lonhtmlcommon.pm	2004/11/19 19:31:13	1.96
+++ loncom/interface/lonhtmlcommon.pm	2004/11/19 20:17:52	1.97
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
 # a pile of common html routines
 #
-# $Id: lonhtmlcommon.pm,v 1.96 2004/11/19 19:31:13 albertel Exp $
+# $Id: lonhtmlcommon.pm,v 1.97 2004/11/19 20:17:52 albertel Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -141,6 +141,30 @@ sub select_recent {
     return $return;
 }
 
+sub get_recent {
+    my ($area, $n) = @_;
+    my %recent=&Apache::lonnet::dump(&recent_filename($area));
+
+# Create hash with key as time and recent as value
+    my %time_hash = ();
+    foreach (keys %recent) {
+        my $thistime=(split(/\&/,$recent{$_}))[0];
+        $time_hash{$thistime} = $_;
+    }
+
+# Sort by decreasing time and return key value pairs
+    my %return_hash = ();
+    my $idx = 1;
+    foreach (reverse sort keys %time_hash) {
+       $return_hash{$time_hash{$_}} =
+                  &Apache::lonnet::unescape((split(/\&/,$recent{$_}))[1]);
+       if ($n && ($idx++ >= $n)) {last;}
+    }
+
+    return %return_hash;
+}
+
+
 
 =pod