PRO WSTBUSY, ANNOUNCEMENT

;+
; NAME:
;	WSTBUSY
;
; PURPOSE:
;	This function can be embedded inside an IDL code that is expected to
;	run for a long time, announcing with printed messages that the code is
;	still running.  Unlike a PRINT statement in a loop, WSTBUSY makes its
;	announcements just once a minute.
;
; CATEGORY:
;	Calming down impatient users like the author.
;
; CALLING SEQUENCE:
;	WSTBUSY[, ANNOUNCEMENT]
;
; OPTIONAL INPUT:
;	ANNOUNCEMENT: An array of messages or values to be printed.  If no
;	parameter is used, the message reads "STILL BUSY" plus the time and
;	date.
;	
;
; OUTPUT:
;	NONE.
;
; COMMON BLOCKS:
;	BIZZY
;
; SIDE EFFECTS:
;	The overhead of calling this function many times might be onerous; so
;	don't bury it deep inside nested loops.
;
; PROCEDURE:
;	Each time the procedure is invoked, it decodes the !STIME system vari-
;	able to see if the minute has changed since the last time.  If so, then
;	the program prints the announcement.  If not, it returns and does
;	nothing.
;
; EXAMPLE:
;	The following code might be used in a coded procedure that runs for
;	twenty minutes.  About twenty times out of the 1000 passages through the
;	loop, a message appears on the screen.
;
;		for iter = 1, 1000 do begin
;		  number_cruncher, data, i
;		  WSTBUSY, "Processing iteration number " + strtrim(i,2)
;		endfor
;
; MODIFICATION HISTORY:
; 	Written by:	James Hamill
;			Siemens Medical Systems
;			2501 N. Barrington Rd.
;			Hoffman Estates, IL  60195-7372
;			(708)304-7760
;			hamill@sgi.siemens.com
;			October, 1989
;
;-



common bizzy, last_minute



now = !stime
colon_position = strpos(now,":")
minute = strmid(now,colon_position+1,2)


;-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;  What minute was it the last time we checked?  But maybe there was no "last
;  time."  Return if we printed a message less than 1 minute ago.
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


sizl = size(last_minute)
if sizl(1) eq 0 then last_minute = "xx"	; on the 1st call it's undefined
if minute eq last_minute then RETURN


;-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;  Print one or more messages.  The first line contains the words "STILL BUSY".
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


if n_params() eq 0 then $

	PRINT, "STILL BUSY.  "+!stime $

	else begin

  n_announcements = n_elements(ANNOUNCEMENT)
  PRINT, "STILL BUSY.  " + string(ANNOUNCEMENT(0))
  if n_announcements gt 1 then for i=1,n_announcements-1 do $
	PRINT, string(ANNOUNCEMENT(i))

endelse


;-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
;  Get ready for the next call: put this minute value in common.
;-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


last_minute = minute


return

end