yodapy data availability and ordering need some additional info

[robfatland]

Suggestions on yodapy ordering machinery

• Clarify what a=ooi.request_data(begin_date='2017-08-21', end_date='2017-08-22') actually means. Is a= necessary?
• Given that the User does issue the above line of code we have a of type OOI; now:
  • a.data_availability() should make it easy for the User to know what to expect
  • a.check_status() should make it easy for the User to know the order is pending/done/lost

In a bit more detail now: If ooi.request_data() returns an OOI object: Is that new object distinct from the original ooi? If so do I want to capture it as

a =  ooi.request_data(begin_date='2017-08-21', end_date='2017-08-22')

Let's suppose that I do this; onward:

From a.data_availability() (instrument filter was for Oregon slope base, shallow profiler, pCO2) I get a wall of green chart (presumably no gaps?) and the following JSON:

{'RS01SBPS-SF01A-4F-PCO2WA101': [{'beginTime': '2014-10-07T01:05:10.334Z',
   'count': 21526,
   'endTime': '2019-03-18T15:21:30.264Z',
   'method': 'streamed',
   'stream': 'pco2w_a_sami_data_record'}]}

I am interested in "Is there data on August 21 2017?" so how do I interpret this result to answer my question? U-Frame seems to be very slow to respond (it is Monday) so I am in diagnostics mode; so the obvious question 'is there actually data' would be nice to answer in an unambiguous manner. Also: Could we include the answer to this in help(ooi.data_availability)?

Final point: When I say

a= ooi.request_data(begin_date='2017-08-21', end_date='2017-08-22')
a.check_status()

I might get a response []. What does this mean? How do I differentiate 'The system is still working on your orderfromThe system has no order(s) on record for you`? And as above can we build this into the documentation via help?

Finally a repro where the data I am requesting never seems to be processed; no email arrives:

from yodapy.datasources import OOI
ooi = OOI()
ooi.view_sites()
ooi.search(region='cabled', site='oregon slope base shallow profiler', instrument='pco2', node='profiler')
ooi.view_instruments()
myDataRequest = ooi.request_data(begin_date='2017-08-21', end_date='2017-08-22')

...and then crickets.

thanks -r