PHP array_rand()Functions
Complete PHP Array Reference Manual
Examples
Return an array containing random key names:
$a=array("red","green","blue","yellow","brown");
$random_keys=array_rand($a,3);
echo $a[$random_keys[0]]."<br>";
echo $a[$random_keys[1]]."<br>";
echo $a[$random_keys[2]];
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Definition and Usage
The array_rand() function returns a random key from an array, or an array of random keys if the function is specified to return more than one key.
Syntax
array_rand(array,number)
| Parameters | Description |
|---|---|
| array | Required. Specifies the array. |
| number | Optional. Specifies how many random elements to return. |
Technical Details
| Return value: | Returns a random key from an array, or an array of random keys if the function is specified to return more than one key. |
|---|---|
| PHP Version: | 4+ |
| Changelog: | Since PHP 5.2.10, the resulting array of keys is no longer shuffled. Since PHP 4.2.0, the random number generator is seeded automatically. |
More Examples
Example 1
Return a random key from an array:
<?php
$a=array("a"=>"red","b"=>"green","c"=>"blue","d"=>"yellow");
print_r(array_rand($a,1));
?>
$a=array("a"=>"red","b"=>"green","c"=>"blue","d"=>"yellow");
print_r(array_rand($a,1));
?>
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Example 2
Return an array containing random string key names:
<?php
$a=array("a"=>"red","b"=>"green","c"=>"blue","d"=>"yellow");
print_r(array_rand($a,2));
?>
$a=array("a"=>"red","b"=>"green","c"=>"blue","d"=>"yellow");
print_r(array_rand($a,2));
?>
Run Example »
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