`srand`

Article
12/02/2022

Sets the starting seed value for the pseudorandom number generator used by the rand function.

Syntax

void srand(
   unsigned int seed
);

Parameters

seed
Seed for pseudorandom number generation

Remarks

The srand function sets the starting point for generating a series of pseudorandom integers in the current thread. To reinitialize the generator to create the same sequence of results, call the srand function and use the same seed argument again. Any other value for seed sets the generator to a different starting point in the pseudorandom sequence. rand retrieves the pseudorandom numbers that are generated. Calling rand before any call to srand generates the same sequence as calling srand with seed passed as 1.

By default, this function's global state is scoped to the application. To change this behavior, see Global state in the CRT.

Requirements

Routine	Required header
`srand`	`<stdlib.h>`

For more compatibility information, see Compatibility.

Example

See the example for rand.