Template:Random number/Doc
From PCSAR
The template {{Random number}}
generates a pseudo-random integer between 0 and count-1.
- Usage:
- {{Rand|count|seed|prime}}
- All parameters are optional and have default values. They must be integers.
- The default count is 100 (so by default, this template generates values between 0 and 99) and must be non-zero.
- The default seed is {{#time:z}} and can be set to any other integer value (used to generate distinct values on the same page).
- The default prime is 67 and should be a prime number above 17 (used to generate distinct values on the same page).
Multiple invocations with unchanging parameters, including with no seed, generate the same value.
Multiple invocations with incrementing seed can generate value in sequence. E.g.: 3 2 1 0 3 2 1 0
- Examples generating numbers between 0 and 999:
- {{Random number|1000}} = 716
- {{Random number|1000|357|67}} = 716 (same as above)
- {{Random number|1000|357|61}} = 521 (this and others should all be different)
- {{Random number|1000|6}} = 199
- {{Random number|1000|5}} = 132
- {{Random number|1000|4}} = 65
- {{Random number|1000|3}} = 998
- {{Random number|1000|2}} = 931
- {{Random number|1000|1}} = 864
- {{Random number|1000|0}} = 797
- {{Random number|1000|1|17}} = 789 (varying the prime number)
- {{Random number|1000|1|19}} = 462
- {{Random number|1000|1|23}} = 821
- {{Random number|1000|1|29}} = 862
- {{Random number|1000|1|31}} = 566
- {{Random number|1000|1|37}} = 615
- {{Random number|1000|1|41}} = 960
- {{Random number|1000|1|43}} = 657
- {{Random number|1000|1|47}} = 16
- {{Random number|1000|1|51}} = 383
- {{Random number|1000|1|53}} = 43
- {{Random number|1000|1|59}} = 82
- {{Random number|1000|1|61}} = 744
- {{Random number|1000|1|67}} = 797
- {{Random number|1000|1|71}} = 196
- {{Random number|1000|1|73}} = 862
- {{Random number|1000|1|79}} = 860
- Note:
- Varying seed linearly generates numbers that generate a linear sequence on the same page, with equal cyclic steps;
- Varying prime (provided that they are odd prime numbers) generates pseudo-random that have independent random distribution.
- Note that when count is even (such as 100 by default, or 1000 in the examples above), the generated numbers (on the same page) are all odd or all even when you are varying the seed or prime, unless half of the calls use an even seed and the others used an odd seed. However, later invocations will still alternate odd and even numbers on output (this problem only occurs on the same page where multiple random numbers are invoked).
- On the same page, multiple invocations of this template with the same parameters will generate the same output value, so it is possible to create multiple links related to the same article.
Based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Random_number
