EDIT

<?php

  /**

   * Returns the localized representations of the modifiers hold by the

   * supplied cdm instance concatenated into one string.

   *

   * @param object $iModifieable

   *   cdm instance of an class implementing the interface IModifieable:

   *   DescriptionElementBase, StateDate, State

   *

   * @return String

   *    localized representations of the modifiers hold by the

   *    supplied cdm instance concatenated into one string

   */

  function cdm_modifers_representations($iModifieable, $glue = ', ') {

    $modifiers_strings = array();

    if (isset($iModifieable->modifiers)) {

      foreach ($iModifieable->modifiers as $modifier) {

        $modifiers_strings[] = cdm_term_representation($modifier);

      }

    }

    return implode(', ', $modifiers_strings);

  }

  /**

   * Filters the given set of description elements and prefers

   * computed elements over others. Computed description elements

   * are identified by the MarkerType.COMPUTED()

   *

   * If the given set contains at least one computed element only

   * the computed elements are returned.

   *

   * @param $description_elements

   *   An array of CDM DescriptionElementBase instances

   *

   * @return

   *  only the computed description elements otherwise all others.

   *

   * @deprecated this is replaced by the cdmlib DistributionUtil class!!!

   */

  function cdm_description_elements_prefer_computed($description_elements){

    $computed_elements = array();

    $other_elements = array();

    if(!empty($description_elements)){

      foreach ($description_elements as $element) {

        if(cdm_entity_has_marker($element, UUID_MARKERTYPE_COMPUTED)){

          $computed_elements[] = $element;

        } else {

          $other_elements[] = $element;

        }

      }

    }

    if(count($computed_elements) > 0) {

      return $computed_elements;

    } else {

      return $other_elements;

    }

  }

  /**

   * @return array

   */

  function cdm_distribution_filter_query(){

    $cdm_distribution_filter = get_array_variable_merged(CDM_DISTRIBUTION_FILTER, CDM_DISTRIBUTION_FILTER_DEFAULT);

    $query = array();

    if($cdm_distribution_filter['filter_rules']['statusOrderPreference']){

      $query['statusOrderPreference'] = 1;

    }

    if($cdm_distribution_filter['filter_rules']['subAreaPreference']){

      $query['subAreaPreference'] = 1;

    }

    if(is_array($cdm_distribution_filter['hideMarkedAreas']) && count($cdm_distribution_filter['hideMarkedAreas']) > 0){

      $query['hideMarkedAreas'] = '';

      foreach ($cdm_distribution_filter['hideMarkedAreas'] as $marker_type => $enabled)

        if($enabled){

          $query['hideMarkedAreas'] .= ($query['hideMarkedAreas'] ? ',' : '') . $marker_type;

        }

    }

    return $query;

  }

  /**

   * Merge the fields 'annotations', 'markers', 'sources', 'media' from the source CDM DescriptionElement into  the target.

   *

   * @param $target

   *     The source CDM DescriptionElement

   * @param $source

   *     The target CDM DescriptionElement

   */

  function cdm_merge_description_elements(&$target, &$source){

    static $fields_to_merge = array('annotations', 'markers', 'sources', 'media');

    foreach ($fields_to_merge as $field){

      if(is_array($source->$field)) {

        if(!is_array($target->$field)){

          $target->$field = $source->$field;

        } else {

          $target->$field = array_merge($target->$field, $source->$field);

        }

      }

    }

  }

  /**

   * Creates a  entry for the table of content items list

   *

   * The  table of content items are crated internally by calling

   * toc_list_item() the resulting item is added to the statically cached

   * list of toc elements

   *

   * @param $label

   *  The label of toc entry

   * @param $class_attribute_suffix

   *  The suffix to be appended to the class attribute prefix: "feature-toc-item-"

   * @param $fragment

   *  Optional parameter to define a url fragment different from the $label,

   *  if the $fragment is not defined the $label will be used

   */

  function cdm_toc_list_add_item($label, $class_attribute_suffix, $fragment = NULL){

    $toc_list_items = &cdm_toc_list();

    // TODO normalize $fragment if necesarry, check uri()

    if(!$fragment){

      $fragment = $label;

    }

    $class_attributes = 'feature-toc-item-' . $class_attribute_suffix;

    $toc_list_items[] = toc_list_item(

      theme(

        'cdm_feature_name',

        array('feature_name' => $label))

      ,

      array('class' => $class_attributes),

      $fragment

    );

  }

  /**

   * Returns the statically cached table of content items as render array

   *

   * @see see also cdm_toc_list_add_item()

   *

   * @return array

   *   a render array of table of content items suitable for theme_item_list()

   */

  function &cdm_toc_list(){

    $toc_list_items = &drupal_static('toc_list_items', array());

    return $toc_list_items;

  }

/**

 * Prepares an empty Drupal block for displaying description elements of a specific CDM Feature.

 *

 * The block can also be used for pseudo Features like a bibliography. Pseudo features are

 * derived from other data on the fly and so not exist as such in the cdm data. In case

 * of pseudo features the $feature is left empty

 *

 * @param $feature_name

 *    A label describing the feature, usually the localized feature representation.

 * @param $feature

 *    The CDM Feature for which the block is created. (optional)

 * @return object

 *    A Drupal block object

 */

function feature_block($feature_name, $feature = null) {

  $block = new stdclass(); // Empty object.

  $block->module = 'cdm_dataportal';

  $block->delta = generalizeString($feature_name);

  $block->region = null;

  $block->subject = '<a name="' . $block->delta . '"></a><span class="' . html_class_attribute_ref($feature) . '">'

    . theme('cdm_feature_name', array('feature_name' => $feature_name))

    . '</span>';

  $block->module = "cdm_dataportal-feature";

  $block->content = '';

  return $block;

}

  /**

   * Creates a list item for a table of content, suitable as data element for a themed list

   *

   * @see theme_list()

   *

   * @param $label

   * @param $http_request_params

   * @param $attributes

   * @return array

   */

  function toc_list_item($label, $attributes = array(), $fragment = null) {

    // we better cache here since drupal_get_query_parameters has no internal static cache variable

    $http_request_params = drupal_static('http_request_params', drupal_get_query_parameters());

    $item =  array(

      'data' => l(

        $label,

        $_GET['q'],

        array(

          'attributes' => array('class' => array('toc')),

          'fragment' => generalizeString($label),

          'query' => $http_request_params

        )

      )

    );

    $item['attributes'] = $attributes;

    return $item;

  }

  /**

   * Creates the footnotes for the given CDM DescriptionElement instance.

   *

   * Footnotes are created for annotatins and original sources.

   *

   * @param $descriptionElement

   *     A CDM DescriptionElement instance

   * @param $separator

   *     Optional parameter. The separator string to concatenate the footnote ids, default is ','

   * @param $footnote_list_key_suggestion

   * @return String

   *    The foot note keys

   */

  function cdm_create_description_element_footnotes($description_element, $separator = ',', $footnote_list_key_suggestion = null){

    // Annotations as footnotes.

    $footNoteKeys = cdm_annotations_as_footnotekeys($description_element, $footnote_list_key_suggestion);

    // Source references as footnotes.

    $bibliography_settings = get_bibliography_settings();

    $original_source_footnote_tag = $bibliography_settings['enabled'] == 1 ? 'div' : null; // otherwise the default

    foreach ($description_element->sources as $source) {

      if (_is_original_source_type($source)) {

        $fn_key = FootnoteManager::addNewFootnote(

          original_source_footnote_list_key($footnote_list_key_suggestion),

          theme('cdm_OriginalSource', array(

            'source' => $source,

            'doLink' => FALSE,

          )),

          $original_source_footnote_tag

        );

        // Ensure uniqueness of the footnote keys.

        cdm_add_footnote_to_array($footNoteKeys, $fn_key);

      }

    }

    // Sort and render footnote keys.

    $footnoteKeyListStr = '';

    asort($footNoteKeys);

    foreach ($footNoteKeys as $footNoteKey) {

      $footnoteKeyListStr .= theme('cdm_footnote_key',

        array(

          'footnoteKey' => $footNoteKey,

          'separator' => ($footnoteKeyListStr ? $separator : '')));

    }

    return $footnoteKeyListStr;

  }

  /**

   *

   * @return string the footnote_list_key

   */

  function original_source_footnote_list_key($key_suggestion = null) {

    if(!$key_suggestion){

      $key_suggestion = RenderHints::getFootnoteListKey();

    }

    $bibliography_settings = get_bibliography_settings();

    $footnote_list_key = $bibliography_settings['enabled'] == 1 ? 'BIBLIOGRAPHY' : $key_suggestion;

    return $footnote_list_key;

  }