--- loncom/localize/lonlocal.pm	2008/12/12 04:29:35	1.50.2.1
+++ loncom/localize/lonlocal.pm	2009/01/02 23:07:52	1.53
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
 # Localization routines
 #
-# $Id: lonlocal.pm,v 1.50.2.1 2008/12/12 04:29:35 raeburn Exp $
+# $Id: lonlocal.pm,v 1.53 2009/01/02 23:07:52 raeburn Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -340,15 +340,24 @@ sub get_language_handle {
 
 # ========================================================== Localize localtime
 sub gettimezone {
-    my $timezone; 
-    if ($Apache::lonnet::env{'course.'.$Apache::lonnet::env{'request.course.id'}.'.timezone'}) {
-        $timezone = $Apache::lonnet::env{'course.'.$Apache::lonnet::env{'request.course.id'}.'.timezone'};    
-    } elsif ($Apache::lonnet::env{'request.course.id'} ne '') {
-        my $cdom = $Apache::lonnet::env{'course.'.$Apache::lonnet::env{'request.course.id'}.'.domain'};
-        if ($cdom ne '') {
-            my %domdefaults = &Apache::lonnet::get_domain_defaults($cdom);
-            if ($domdefaults{'timezone_def'} ne '') {
-                $timezone = $domdefaults{'timezone_def'};
+    my ($timezone) = @_;
+    if ($timezone ne '') {
+        if (!DateTime::TimeZone->is_valid_name($timezone)) {
+            $timezone = 'local';
+        }
+        return $timezone;
+    }
+    my $cid = $Apache::lonnet::env{'request.course.id'};  
+    if ($cid ne '') {
+        if ($Apache::lonnet::env{'course.'.$cid.'.timezone'}) {
+            $timezone = $Apache::lonnet::env{'course.'.$cid.'.timezone'};    
+        } else {
+            my $cdom = $Apache::lonnet::env{'course.'.$cid.'.domain'};
+            if ($cdom ne '') {
+                my %domdefaults = &Apache::lonnet::get_domain_defaults($cdom);
+                if ($domdefaults{'timezone_def'} ne '') {
+                    $timezone = $domdefaults{'timezone_def'};
+                }
             }
         }
     } elsif ($Apache::lonnet::env{'request.role.domain'} ne '') {
@@ -373,7 +382,7 @@ sub gettimezone {
 }
 
 sub locallocaltime {
-    my $thistime=shift;
+    my ($thistime,$timezone) = @_;
     if (!defined($thistime) || $thistime eq '') {
 	return &mt('Never');
     }
@@ -387,7 +396,7 @@ sub locallocaltime {
     }
 
     my $dt = DateTime->from_epoch(epoch => $thistime)
-                     ->set_time_zone(&gettimezone());
+                     ->set_time_zone(&gettimezone($timezone));
     if ((&current_language=~/^en/) || (!$lh)) {
 
 	return $dt->strftime("%a %b %e %I:%M:%S %P %Y (%Z)");
@@ -460,13 +469,19 @@ sub getdatelocale {
     return $locale_obj;
 }
 
+=pod 
+
+=item * normalize_string
 
-# ==================== Normalize string (reduce fragility in the lexicon files)
+Normalize string (reduce fragility in the lexicon files)
+
+This normalizes a string to reduce fragility in the lexicon files of
+huge messages (such as are used by the helper), and allow useful
+formatting: reduce all consecutive whitespace to a single space,
+and remove all HTML
+
+=cut
 
-# This normalizes a string to reduce fragility in the lexicon files of
-# huge messages (such as are used by the helper), and allow useful
-# formatting: reduce all consecutive whitespace to a single space,
-# and remove all HTML
 sub normalize_string {
     my $s = shift;
     $s =~ s/\s+/ /g;
@@ -477,13 +492,27 @@ sub normalize_string {
     return $s;
 }
 
-# alias for normalize_string; recommend using it only in the lexicon
+=pod 
+
+=item * ns
+
+alias for normalize_string; recommend using it only in the lexicon
+
+=cut
+
 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
+=pod
+
+=item * mtn
+
+mtn: call the mt function and the normalization function easily.
+Returns original non-normalized string if there was no translation
+
+=cut
+
 sub mtn (@) {
     my @args = @_; # don't want to modify caller's string; if we
 		   # didn't care about that we could set $_[0]