random

Pseudo-random generators.

mout uses Math.random by default on all the pseudo-random generators, if you need a seeded random or a better algorithm see the random() documentation for instructions.

choice(...items):*

Returns a random element from the supplied arguments or from an array if single argument is an array.

Example:

choice(1, 2, 3, 4, 5); // 3

var arr = ['lorem', 'ipsum', 'dolor'];
choice(arr); // 'dolor'

guid():String

Generates a pseudo-random Globally Unique Identifier (v4).

Since the total number of GUIDs is 2¹²² the chance of generating the same value twice is negligible.

Important: this method uses Math.random by default so the UUID isn't safe (sequence of outputs can be predicted in some cases), check the random() documentation for more info on how to replace the default PRNG if you need extra safety or need seeded results.

See: randHex(), random()

Example:

guid();      // 830e9f50-ac7f-4369-a14f-ed0e62b2fa0b
guid();      // 5de3d09b-e79c-4727-932b-48c49228d508

rand([min], [max]):Number

Gets a random number inside range or snap to min/max values.

Arguments:

1. [min] (Number) : Minimum value. Defaults to number/MIN_INT.
2. [max] (Number) : Maximum value. Defaults to number/MAX_INT.

Example:

rand();      // 448740433.55274725
rand();      // -31797596.097682
rand(0, 10); // 7.369723
rand(0, 10); // 5.987042

See: random()

randBit():Number

Returns a random "bit" (0 or 1). Useful for addition/subtraction.

It's slightly faster than choice(0, 1) since implementation is simpler (not that it will make a huge difference in most cases).

See: choice()

Example:

randBit(); // 1
randBit(); // 0

//same effect as
choice(0, 1);

randBool():Boolean

Returns a random Boolean (true or false).

Since this is very common it makes sense to abstract it into a discrete method.

Example:

randBool(); // true
randBool(); // false

randHex([size]):String

Returns a random hexadecimal string.

The default size is 6.

Example:

randHex();   // "dd8575"
randHex();   // "e6baeb"
randHex(2);  // "a2"
randHex(30); // "effd7e2ad9a4a3067e30525fab983a"

randInt([min], [max]):Number

Gets a random integer inside range or snap to min/max values.

Arguments:

1. [min] (Number) : Minimum value. Defaults to number/MIN_INT.
2. [max] (Number) : Maximum value. Defaults to number/MAX_INT.

Example:

randInt();      // 448740433
randInt();      // -31797596
randInt(0, 10); // 7
randInt(0, 10); // 5

randSign():Number

Returns a random "sign" (-1 or 1). Useful for multiplications.

It's slightly faster than choice(-1, 1) since implementation is simpler (not that it will make a huge difference in most cases).

See: choice()

Example:

randSign(); // -1
randSign(); // 1

//same effect as
choice(-1, 1);

random():Number

Returns a random number between 0 and 1. Same as Math.random().

random(); // 0.35435103671625257
random(); // 0.8768321881070733

Important: No methods inside mout should call Math.random() directly, they all use random/random as a proxy, that way we can inject/replace the pseudo-random number generator if needed (ie. in case we need a seeded random or a better algorithm than the native one).

Replacing the PRNG

In some cases we might need better/different algorithms than the one provided by Math.random (ie. safer, seeded).

Because of licensing issues, file size limitations and different needs we decided to not implement a custom PRNG and instead provide a easy way to override the default behavior. - issue #99

If you are using mout with a loader that supports the AMD map config, such as RequireJS, you can use it to replace the PRNG (recommended approach):

requirejs.config({
    map : {
        // all modules will load "my_custom_prng" instead of
        // "mout/random/random"
        '*' : {
            'mout/random/random' : 'my_custom_prng'
        }
    }
});

You also have the option to override random.get in case you are using mout on node.js or with a loader which doesn't support the map config:

// replace the PRNG
var n = 0;
random.get = function(){
    return ++n % 2? 0 : 1; // not so random :P
};
random(); // 0
random(); // 1
random(); // 0
random(); // 1

See this detailed explanation about PRNG in JavaScript to understand the issues with the native Math.random and also for a list of algorithms that could be used instead.

randString([length, dictionary]):String

Returns a random string.

By default returns string containing alphanumeric characters (lowercase and uppercase) with a length of 8.

Arguments:

1. [length] (number) : Length of the string to return. Defaults to 8.
2. [dictionary] (string) : A string containing all characters used as a dictionary for the random string construction. Defaults to alphanumeric characters (lowercase and uppercase).

Example:

randString();             // returns a string with length 8.
randString(12);           // returns a string of length 12.
randString(-1);           // returns a string of length 8.
randString(null, 'pew!'); // returns a random string of length 8 composed of 'p', 'e', 'w' and '!'.
randString(10, '0');      // always returns '0's of length 10.
randString(rand(8, 10));  // returns a random string with length between 8 and 10.

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For more usage examples check specs inside /tests folder. Unit tests are the best documentation you can get...