Say an unanswered merge check's time in the operator's zone, from the checks given as data (novox/hq issue 443)

cmd/mesh-controller/plain_words.go

@@ -879,8 +879,8 @@ func unansweredWords(l stalledLine, o conditions.Observation) (headline, explana
 		limit = ", past its limit of " + humanDuration(d)
 	}
 	which := "Its merge check"
-	if len(l.Waiting) > 0 {
-		which = "Its merge check (" + strings.Join(l.Waiting, ", ") + ")"
+	if said := uncheckedWaitWords(l); len(said) > 0 {
+		which = "Its merge check (" + strings.Join(said, ", ") + ")"
 	}
 	if o.Resolver == conditions.ResolverOperator {
 		needs = "push a new commit to its branch, which asks the check again, or see whether its check still waits " +
@@ -892,6 +892,42 @@ func unansweredWords(l stalledLine, o conditions.Observation) (headline, explana
 		fmt.Sprintf("%s has an answer from its merge check, or is closed", pull), needs, nil
 }
 
+// uncheckedWaitWords are the merge checks an unanswered line waits on, as the operator reads them: from the checks
+// given as data, each time in the controller's local zone, as every other time in a message — "mesh/merge-gate
+// pending since 02:11" — never the UTC time inside mesh-delivery's finished words, which cannot be said again in
+// another zone (novox/hq issue 443). A line from a mesh-delivery that gives no such data is said by its words.
+func uncheckedWaitWords(l stalledLine) []string {
+	if len(l.Checks) == 0 {
+		return l.Waiting
+	}
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(l.Checks))
+	for _, c := range l.Checks {
+		switch c.State {
+		case "never-set":
+			out = append(out, c.Context+" never set")
+		case "pending":
+			out = append(out, c.Context+" pending"+sinceWords(c.Since))
+		default:
+			out = append(out, c.Context+" not answered")
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// sinceWords is " since 02:11" in the controller's local zone, with its day when that is not today ("since 23:05 on
+// 9 Oct"), so the time stays absolute; a time not given, or not readable, is said so and never made up.
+func sinceWords(since string) string {
+	at, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, since)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ", since a time the forge did not say"
+	}
+	local, today := at.Local(), wordsNow().Local()
+	if local.YearDay() == today.YearDay() && local.Year() == today.Year() {
+		return " since " + local.Format("15:04")
+	}
+	return " since " + local.Format("15:04 on 2 Jan")
+}
+
 // causeWords is a hand-act's cause as a person says it.
 func causeWords(cause string) string {
 	return strings.NewReplacer(".", " ", "_", " ").Replace(cause)