Randomizing an Array (how to shuffle???)

conjurer

I wrote some code that I thought would mix up my image names and serve up a random image. But each time I run it I get the same exact order of the array (all mixed up, but always in the same order) so I just keep getting the same image name over and over.

What am I doing wrong here???
Here is the code:

 
<?php /* Include File to define photo array for radom photos */
	$picturesArray = array("class_1.jpg", "class_2.jpg", "class_3.jpg", "class_4.jpg",
 "class_5.jpg", "class_6.jpg", "class_7.jpg", "class_8.jpg");
	shuffle($picturesArray);
	while (list ($key, $val)= each($picturesArray)){
		echo "Index[".$key."] = ".$val."<br />";
}
?>

LordShryku

Why not just use [man]array_rand[/man]?

conjurer

Why not just use array_rand?

Doesn't that presuppose I knew there was such a function???

Thanks for the tip...will check it out!

Weedpacket

Originally posted by conjurer
Doesn't that presuppose I knew there was such a function???

I guess it presupposes you looked through the array functions in the manual.

Note that shuffle() maintains key/value relationships - if $foo[5]=4 before shuffling, $foo[5]=4 after shuffling (note that the example on the [man]shuffle[/man] page didn't use the keys). [man]array_values[/man] will throw away those keys and use new ones.

conjurer

There's a manual?

😉

Thanks for putting me on track.

drag0n

shuffle didnt work for me, I ended up writing my own function to shuffle the array contenst much like shuffling cards, I was doing something for multiple choice test answers

bike5

shuffle didn't work for me either. On one array with 10 points it shuffled 4 and repeated the exact same 4 and in same places shuffled to each time it was run, and on other arrays it did nothing at all. I ended up writing my own way around it also.