selecting randomly

[drawmack]

does anyone know if this query

SELECT ID FROM characters ORDER BY rand() LIMIT 0,20

will give me 20 unique entries every time?

also, there are 132 entries in the table, will this return 20 random ones or the first 20 randomized?

[Sxooter]

Assuming rand() is truly random, the order of operations in this query are to first randomize a list of every row in the database, then select the first 20.

So, again assuming rand() is random enough, yes, it will give you 20 random rows each time.

[drawmack]

thanks, I was having a brain fart this monring.

I tried it and it worked rather nicely.