my ($user_spec, $text, $linktype, $idonly, $create) = @_;
# $user_spec => a $USER object, a users id, or a users name
# $text      => text to use for link
# $linktype  => a hash of parameters to add to the links url
# $idonly    => we want an ID back ONLY
# $create    => create the scratchpad if necessary

# Do some juggling to manage the different forms of $user_spec
my $user;
if (ref $user_spec) {
   # Its an object
   $user=$user_spec;
} else {
   # Its either an id or a name. The || is to handle any pesky users
   # who have a number for a name. Not sure if thats legal, but we check anyway.
   $user = $user_spec=~/\D/ ? getNode($user_spec, 'user')
                            : ( getNodeById($user_spec) ||
                                getNode($user_spec, 'user') );

   # Bail if we still have no $user (we can't create without a user so
   # that flag is irrelevent here)
   unless ($user) {
     return $idonly
            ? ""
            : linkNode(108949, ($text || "$user_spec\'s scratchpad"),
                       { user=> $user_spec } )
   }
}

# at this point we have a valid $user object
my $user_id    = $user->{user_id};
my $user_title = $user->{title};

# [demerphq] commented the following out for now because
# Anonymonk _has_ a scratchpad.  Maybe one day the gods
# will put something useful there...
#
# return $idonly ? "" : 'Anonymonk has no scratchpad!'
#    if  and getId($user) == $HTMLVARS{guest_user};


# Fetch the pad
my $ret={user=>$user};
my ($pad_id,$pad_title);
if ( htmlcode('get_user_scratchpads','',$ret) ) {
  ($pad_id,$pad_title) = @{$ret->{pads}[0]};
}

# Links to scratchpads go to the scratchpad viewer prior to
# creating a proper node. If they actually follow the link
# and go to the viewer then the creation will occur because
# that node will call us again, but with the magic $create flag
if (!$pad_id and !$create) {
  return "" if $idonly;
  $text ||= $user_title."'s scratchpad";
  return ($linktype && $linktype->{displaytype} eq 'edit')
          ? linkNode(108949, $text, { user=>$user_title, svmode=>'edit'})
          : linkNode(108949, $text, { user=>$user_title })
} else {
  $text||=$pad_title;
}

# They either have a pad, or we are supposed to force its creation.
# So make a pad if there isn't one already...
$pad_id = htmlcode('createscratchpad', '', $user,'',1)
  unless $pad_id;

# Sanity clause -- Make sure we actually got one back
return $idonly ? ""
               : "Woah! Bad Mojo in scratchpad_link ($user_id,$text,$user_title)"
  unless $pad_id;

# Return the link/or ID of the scratchpad
return $idonly ? $pad_id : linkNode($pad_id, $text, $linktype);