Module:Random/doc

This module contains a number of functions that use random numbers. It can output random numbers, select a random item from a list, and reorder lists randomly. The randomly reordered lists can be output inline, or as various types of ordered and unordered lists. The available functions are outlined in more detail below.

Number
The  function outputs a random number.

&#123;{#invoke:random|number|m|n|same=yes}}

The arguments  and   may be omitted, but if specified must be convertible to integers.
 * With no arguments, returns a real number in the range $$[0,1)$$.
 * With one argument, returns an integer in the range $$[1,m]$$, or, if  is negative, $$(-m,0]$$. If   is equal to 0 or 1, returns 1 (or 0 if $$m=-1$$).
 * With two arguments, returns an integer in the range $$[m,n]$$.  and   can be either positive or negative. If   is greater than , returns an integer in the range $$[n,m]$$ instead.
 * If the same parameter is set to "yes", "y", "true", or "1", the same random number is returned for each module call on a given page.

Examples


 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;

The documentation for this function is partly taken from the Scribunto Lua reference manual, which is in turn based on the Lua 5.1 Reference Manual, available under the MIT License.

Date
The  function outputs a random date.

&#123;{#invoke:random|date|timestamp1|timestamp2|format=date format|same=yes}}


 * If no timestamp arguments are specified, the module outputs a random date in the current year.
 * If  and   are specified, the module outputs a random date between the two timestamps.   must be earlier than.
 * If only is specified, the module outputs a random date between the Unix epoch (1 Jan 1970) and the timestamp.   must not be earlier than 1 Jan 1970.
 * Formatting can be specified with the format parameter. The default formatting is "hh:mm, DD Month YYYY (UTC)" (the same as the default Wikipedia timestamp).
 * The timestamps and the format parameter accept values compatible with the #time parser function. Please see the #time documentation for the full range of possible input values and formatting options.
 * If the same parameter is set to "yes", "y", "true", or "1", the same date is returned for each module call on a given page.

Examples


 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;

Item
The  function outputs a random item from a list.

&#123;{#invoke:random|item|list item 1|list item 2|list item 3|...|same=yes}}

If the same parameter is set to "yes", "y", "true", or "1", the same item is returned for each module call on a given page.

Example


 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;

List
The  function outputs a list in a random order.

&#123;{#invoke:random|list|list item 1|list item 2|list item 3|...|sep=separator|limit=number of items to display|same=yes}}

Named parameters
 * sep or separator - an optional separator for the list items. Some values are special; see the table below.
 * limit - the maximum number of list items to display. The lowest possible is 0 and the highest possible is the length of the list.
 * same - if this is set to "yes", "y", "true", or "1", the list order is the same for each module call on a given page.

You cannot input spaces directly to the sep parameter due to limitations in MediaWiki's template syntax. However, it is possible to work around this by using HTML entities. You can use  to represent a normal space, and   to represent a non-breaking space.

Examples


 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;

Text list
The  function outputs a list in a random order, text-style. In other words, it is like the  function, but with a different separator before the last item.

&#123;{#invoke:random|text_list|list item 1|list item 2|list item 3|...|sep=separator|conj=conjunction|limit=number of items to display|same=yes}}

The separator can be specified with either the sep or separator parameters; its default value is "". The conjunction can be specified with either the conj or conjunction parameters; its default value is " and ". The separator and the conjunction can be specified with the same values as the separator in the list function.

The maximum number of list items to display can be set with the limit parameter. The lowest possible is 0 and the highest possible is the length of the list.

If the same parameter is set to "yes", "y", "true", or "1", the list order is the same for each module call on a given page.

Examples


 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;
 * &rarr;

HTML lists
If you wish to output an HTML list in a random order, you can choose between five different functions:,  ,  ,  , and. These functions all use WP:Module:List.


 * Basic usage

&#123;{#invoke:random|function|list item 1|list item 2|list item 3|...|limit=number of items to display|same=yes}}


 * All parameters

The maximum number of list items to display can be set with the limit parameter. The lowest possible is 0 and the highest possible is the length of the list.

If the same parameter is set to "yes", "y", "true", or "1", the list order is the same for each module call on a given page.

Please see WP:Module:List for a full explanation of the other parameters.