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php4-beta | 200004

Re: [PHP4BETA] array_rand() feedback From: php4 <email protected>
Date: 04/29/00

Addressed to: Andrei Zmievski <andrei <email protected>>
              php4beta <email protected>

** Reply to note from Andrei Zmievski <andrei <email protected>> Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:00:14 -0500
>
> I wrote a function called array_rand() that is supposed to return a
> random element from the input array. After I wrote it, I asked myself:
> would it be useful to return the key for that value as well as the
> value itself? What do you think?

It would sometimes be useful, but not always. Maybe make it another
function?

> Example (without key):
>
> $ar = array(1, 2, 3); $val = array_rand($ar);
>
> Example (with key): $ar = array("one"=>1, "two"=>2, "three"=>3);
> list($key, $val) = array_rand($ar);
>
> Let me know what you think. I also thought about adding a second
> argument that specifies how many random elements to return. If that
> gets added then returning keys and values for multiple arguments gets
> a little trickier.
>

$Entries = hash_rand( $var, $count );
while( list( $key, $val ) = each( $Entries )) {
   echo "The random choices are: $key - $val<BR>\n";
   }

I would probably want it to make sure that there are no duplicates in
the output array. It would be an error if $count was > count( $var ).
If each() only evaluates its argument once when called in a while like
this, then the $Entries variable is not needed.

Rick Widmer
http://www.developersdesk.com 

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