array_rand
(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8)
Pick one or more random keys out of an array
Description
Picks one or more random entries out of an array, and returns the key (or keys) of the random entries.
Cryptographically-insecure Mt19937-global-state
Parameters
arrayThe input array. Cannot be empty.
numSpecifies how many entries should be picked. Must be greater than zero, and less than or equal to the length of
array
Return Values
When picking only one entry, array_rand() returns the key for a random entry. Otherwise, an array of keys for the random entries is returned. This is done so that random keys can be picked from the array as well as random values. If multiple keys are returned, they will be returned in the order they were present in the original array.
Errors/Exceptions
Throws a ValueError if array is empty, or if num is out of range.
Changelog
| Version | Description |
|---|---|
| 8.0.0 | array_rand() now throws a ValueError if num is out of range; previously an E_WARNING was raised, and the function returned null. |
| 8.0.0 | array_rand() now throws a ValueError if array is empty; previously an E_WARNING was raised, and the function returned null. |
| 7.1.0 | The internal randomization algorithm has been changed to use the Mersenne Twister Random Number Generator instead of the libc rand function. |
Examples
array_rand() example
<?php
$input = array("Neo", "Morpheus", "Trinity", "Cypher", "Tank");
$rand_keys = array_rand($input, 2);
echo $input[$rand_keys[0]] . "\n";
echo $input[$rand_keys[1]] . "\n";
?>