Randomized output from database!

Anon

Hi fellows hardcore coders,

I'we used to code a lot of ASP applications, but it has been more and more PHP, which also is quit good, but now I ran into a problem with randomizing a output from my MySQL database.
In ASP you can randomize wuit easy, but i found out that it is not that easy in PHP.

Let's say I got a SQL statement which returns me 4 recordset's. These must be totally randomize with the condition on the time for an example........no exact way, that's makes the output different every time the page reloads......it must be different every time!
I thought of taking the actual timestamp and by that making the fetch_array different somehow, but I can't figure it out, so I would be happy for some hint, with more than just use the mt_ran or another, but a better explanation on how to do this.
If the sql statement returns 4 records all 4 needs to be put out, but not the same way...always in a different way (I do understand that there always will be a possibility that they will be presented in the exact same way but i tried with some exambles i read about and they always put it put the same way and that's not what i call randomize)

I hope for fast help and thanks in advance.

P.S. Sorry for all the explanation but i thought it was needed, also a sorry for my bad english, but it's not my best language :-)

/Lars

Anon

In MySQL Version 3.23 you can do:

mysql> SELECT * FROM tbl_name ORDER BY RAND();

It'll return the rows in a random order. It seems like that would be your simpliest solution. It's got to be easier than reading all of the rows into an array, then randomizing the array. Although PHP does offer an array randomize function (php4 only, i think..)

---John Holmes...

Anon

You could even make that:

  SELECT * FROM tbl_name ORDER BY RAND() limit 4

and then it only sends you the required number of rows.

Anon

WOOOOW! That's simply to much, i read all the documentation - but couldn't find, may be I should update my documentation from MySQL :-)

Thank you veru much guys :-) You just made my day :-)

Anon

Take care, do not use it on Ms SQL Server. It simply doesn´t work!.

Leo