Random Class

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System

Assembly:: System.Runtime.Extensions.dll

Assembly:: System.Runtime.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Source:: Random.cs

Source:: Random.cs

Source:: Random.cs

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Represents a pseudo-random number generator, which is an algorithm that produces a sequence of numbers that meet certain statistical requirements for randomness.

public ref class Random

public class Random

[System.Serializable]
public class Random

[System.Serializable]
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(true)]
public class Random

type Random = class

[<System.Serializable>]
type Random = class

[<System.Serializable>]
[<System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(true)>]
type Random = class

Public Class Random

Inheritance: Object
Random

Attributes: SerializableAttribute ComVisibleAttribute

Examples

The following example creates a single random number generator and calls its NextBytes, Next, and NextDouble methods to generate sequences of random numbers within different ranges.

using namespace System;

void main()
{
   // Instantiate random number generator using system-supplied value as seed.
   Random^ rand = gcnew Random();
   // Generate and display 5 random byte (integer) values.
   array<Byte>^ bytes = gcnew array<Byte>(4);
   rand->NextBytes(bytes);
   Console::WriteLine("Five random byte values:");
   for each (Byte byteValue in bytes)
      Console::Write("{0, 5}", byteValue);
   Console::WriteLine();
   // Generate and display 5 random integers.
   Console::WriteLine("Five random integer values:");
   for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
      Console::Write("{0,15:N0}", rand->Next());
   Console::WriteLine();
   // Generate and display 5 random integers between 0 and 100.//
   Console::WriteLine("Five random integers between 0 and 100:");
   for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
      Console::Write("{0,8:N0}", rand->Next(101));
   Console::WriteLine();
   // Generate and display 5 random integers from 50 to 100.
   Console::WriteLine("Five random integers between 50 and 100:");
   for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
      Console::Write("{0,8:N0}", rand->Next(50, 101));
   Console::WriteLine();
   // Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 1.
   Console::WriteLine("Five Doubles.");
   for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
      Console::Write("{0,8:N3}", rand->NextDouble());
   Console::WriteLine();
   // Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 5.
   Console::WriteLine("Five Doubles between 0 and 5.");
   for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
      Console::Write("{0,8:N3}", rand->NextDouble() * 5);
}
// The example displays output like the following:
//    Five random byte values:
//      194  185  239   54  116
//    Five random integer values:
//        507,353,531  1,509,532,693  2,125,074,958  1,409,512,757    652,767,128
//    Five random integers between 0 and 100:
//          16      78      94      79      52
//    Five random integers between 50 and 100:
//          56      66      96      60      65
//    Five Doubles.
//       0.943   0.108   0.744   0.563   0.415
//    Five Doubles between 0 and 5.
//       2.934   3.130   0.292   1.432   4.369

// Instantiate random number generator using system-supplied value as seed.
var rand = new Random();

// Generate and display 5 random byte (integer) values.
byte[] bytes = new byte[5];
rand.NextBytes(bytes);
Console.WriteLine("Five random byte values:");
foreach (byte byteValue in bytes)
    Console.Write("{0, 5}", byteValue);
Console.WriteLine();

// Generate and display 5 random integers.
Console.WriteLine("Five random integer values:");
for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
    Console.Write("{0,15:N0}", rand.Next());
Console.WriteLine();

// Generate and display 5 random integers between 0 and 100.
Console.WriteLine("Five random integers between 0 and 100:");
for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
    Console.Write("{0,8:N0}", rand.Next(101));
Console.WriteLine();

// Generate and display 5 random integers from 50 to 100.
Console.WriteLine("Five random integers between 50 and 100:");
for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
    Console.Write("{0,8:N0}", rand.Next(50, 101));
Console.WriteLine();

// Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 1.
Console.WriteLine("Five Doubles.");
for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
    Console.Write("{0,8:N3}", rand.NextDouble());
Console.WriteLine();

// Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 5.
Console.WriteLine("Five Doubles between 0 and 5.");
for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 4; ctr++)
    Console.Write("{0,8:N3}", rand.NextDouble() * 5);

// The example displays output like the following:
//    Five random byte values:
//      194  185  239   54  116
//    Five random integer values:
//        507,353,531  1,509,532,693  2,125,074,958  1,409,512,757    652,767,128
//    Five random integers between 0 and 100:
//          16      78      94      79      52
//    Five random integers between 50 and 100:
//          56      66      96      60      65
//    Five Doubles.
//       0.943   0.108   0.744   0.563   0.415
//    Five Doubles between 0 and 5.
//       2.934   3.130   0.292   1.432   4.369

// Instantiate random number generator using system-supplied value as seed.
let rand = Random()

// Generate and display 5 random byte (integer) values.
let bytes = Array.zeroCreate 5
rand.NextBytes bytes
printfn "Five random byte values:"
for byte in bytes do
    printf "%5i" byte
printfn ""

// Generate and display 5 random integers.
printfn "Five random integer values:"
for _ = 0 to 4 do
    printf $"{rand.Next(),15:N0}" 
printfn ""

// Generate and display 5 random integers between 0 and 100.
printfn "Five random integers between 0 and 100:"
for _ = 0 to 4 do
    printf $"{rand.Next 101,8:N0}"
printfn ""

// Generate and display 5 random integers from 50 to 100.
printfn "Five random integers between 50 and 100:"
for _ = 0 to 4 do
    printf $"{rand.Next(50, 101),8:N0}"
printfn ""

// Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 1.
printfn "Five Doubles."
for _ = 0 to 4 do
    printf $"{rand.NextDouble(),8:N3}"
printfn ""

// Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 5.
printfn "Five Doubles between 0 and 5."
for _ = 0 to 4 do
    printf $"{rand.NextDouble() * 5.0,8:N3}"

// The example displays output like the following:
//    Five random byte values:
//      194  185  239   54  116
//    Five random integer values:
//        507,353,531  1,509,532,693  2,125,074,958  1,409,512,757    652,767,128
//    Five random integers between 0 and 100:
//          16      78      94      79      52
//    Five random integers between 50 and 100:
//          56      66      96      60      65
//    Five Doubles.
//       0.943   0.108   0.744   0.563   0.415
//    Five Doubles between 0 and 5.
//       2.934   3.130   0.292   1.432   4.369

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      ' Instantiate random number generator using system-supplied value as seed.
      Dim rand As New Random()
      ' Generate and display 5 random byte (integer) values.
      Dim bytes(4) As Byte
      rand.NextBytes(bytes)
      Console.WriteLine("Five random byte values:")
      For Each byteValue As Byte In bytes
         Console.Write("{0, 5}", byteValue)
      Next
      Console.WriteLine()   
      ' Generate and display 5 random integers.
      Console.WriteLine("Five random integer values:")
      For ctr As Integer = 0 To 4
         Console.Write("{0,15:N0}", rand.Next)
      Next                     
      Console.WriteLine()
      ' Generate and display 5 random integers between 0 and 100.'
      Console.WriteLine("Five random integers between 0 and 100:")
      For ctr As Integer = 0 To 4
         Console.Write("{0,8:N0}", rand.Next(101))
      Next                     
      Console.WriteLine()
      ' Generate and display 5 random integers from 50 to 100.
      Console.WriteLine("Five random integers between 50 and 100:")
      For ctr As Integer = 0 To 4
         Console.Write("{0,8:N0}", rand.Next(50, 101))
      Next                     
      Console.WriteLine()
      ' Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 1.
      Console.WriteLine("Five Doubles.")
      For ctr As Integer = 0 To 4
         Console.Write("{0,8:N3}", rand.NextDouble())
      Next                     
      Console.WriteLine()
      ' Generate and display 5 random floating point values from 0 to 5.
      Console.WriteLine("Five Doubles between 0 and 5.")
      For ctr As Integer = 0 To 4
         Console.Write("{0,8:N3}", rand.NextDouble() * 5)
      Next                     
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays output like the following:
'    Five random byte values:
'      194  185  239   54  116
'    Five random integer values:
'        507,353,531  1,509,532,693  2,125,074,958  1,409,512,757    652,767,128
'    Five random integers between 0 and 100:
'          16      78      94      79      52
'    Five random integers between 50 and 100:
'          56      66      96      60      65
'    Five Doubles.
'       0.943   0.108   0.744   0.563   0.415
'    Five Doubles between 0 and 5.
'       2.934   3.130   0.292   1.432   4.369

The following example generates a random integer that it uses as an index to retrieve a string value from an array.

using namespace System;

void main()
{
   Random^ rnd = gcnew Random();
   array<String^>^ malePetNames = { "Rufus", "Bear", "Dakota", "Fido",
                                    "Vanya", "Samuel", "Koani", "Volodya",
                                    "Prince", "Yiska" };
   array<String^>^ femalePetNames = { "Maggie", "Penny", "Saya", "Princess",
                                      "Abby", "Laila", "Sadie", "Olivia",
                                      "Starlight", "Talla" };
      
   // Generate random indexes for pet names.
   int mIndex = rnd->Next(malePetNames->Length);
   int fIndex = rnd->Next(femalePetNames->Length);
      
   // Display the result.
   Console::WriteLine("Suggested pet name of the day: ");
   Console::WriteLine("   For a male:     {0}", malePetNames[mIndex]);
   Console::WriteLine("   For a female:   {0}", femalePetNames[fIndex]);
}
// The example displays output similar to the following:
//       Suggested pet name of the day:
//          For a male:     Koani
//          For a female:   Maggie

Random rnd = new();
string[] malePetNames = [ "Rufus", "Bear", "Dakota", "Fido",
                        "Vanya", "Samuel", "Koani", "Volodya",
                        "Prince", "Yiska" ];
string[] femalePetNames = [ "Maggie", "Penny", "Saya", "Princess",
                          "Abby", "Laila", "Sadie", "Olivia",
                          "Starlight", "Talla" ];

// Generate random indexes for pet names.
int mIndex = rnd.Next(malePetNames.Length);
int fIndex = rnd.Next(femalePetNames.Length);

// Display the result.
Console.WriteLine("Suggested pet name of the day: ");
Console.WriteLine($"   For a male:     {malePetNames[mIndex]}");
Console.WriteLine($"   For a female:   {femalePetNames[fIndex]}");

// The example displays output similar to the following:
//       Suggested pet name of the day:
//          For a male:     Koani
//          For a female:   Maggie

let rnd = Random()

let malePetNames =
    [| "Rufus"; "Bear"; "Dakota"; "Fido";
        "Vanya"; "Samuel"; "Koani"; "Volodya";
        "Prince"; "Yiska" |]
let femalePetNames = 
    [| "Maggie"; "Penny"; "Saya"; "Princess";
        "Abby"; "Laila"; "Sadie"; "Olivia";
        "Starlight"; "Talla" |]

// Generate random indexes for pet names.
let mIndex = rnd.Next malePetNames.Length
let fIndex = rnd.Next femalePetNames.Length

// Display the result.
printfn "Suggested pet name of the day: "
printfn "   For a male:     %s" malePetNames.[mIndex]
printfn "   For a female:   %s" femalePetNames.[fIndex]

// The example displays output similar to the following:
//       Suggested pet name of the day:
//          For a male:     Koani
//          For a female:   Maggie

Module Example
   Public Sub Main()
      Dim rnd As New Random()
      Dim malePetNames() As String = { "Rufus", "Bear", "Dakota", "Fido", 
                                    "Vanya", "Samuel", "Koani", "Volodya", 
                                    "Prince", "Yiska" }
      Dim femalePetNames() As String = { "Maggie", "Penny", "Saya", "Princess", 
                                         "Abby", "Laila", "Sadie", "Olivia", 
                                         "Starlight", "Talla" }                                      
      
      ' Generate random indexes for pet names.
      Dim mIndex As Integer = rnd.Next(malePetNames.Length)
      Dim fIndex As Integer = rnd.Next(femalePetNames.Length)
      
      ' Display the result.
      Console.WriteLine("Suggested pet name of the day: ")
      Console.WriteLine("   For a male:     {0}", malePetNames(mIndex))
      Console.WriteLine("   For a female:   {0}", femalePetNames(fIndex))
   End Sub
End Module
' The example displays output similar to the following:
'       Suggested pet name of the day:
'          For a male:     Koani
'          For a female:   Maggie

Remarks

For more information about this API, see Supplemental API remarks for Random.

Notes to Inheritors

In .NET Framework 2.0 and later, the behavior of the Next(), Next(Int32, Int32), and NextBytes(Byte[]) methods have changed so that these methods do not necessarily call the derived class implementation of the Sample() method. As a result, classes derived from Random that target .NET Framework 2.0 and later should also override these three methods.

Notes to Callers

The implementation of the random number generator in the Random class isn't guaranteed to remain the same across major versions of .NET. As a result, you shouldn't assume that the same seed will result in the same pseudo-random sequence in different versions of .NET.

Constructors

Random()	Initializes a new instance of the Random class using a default seed value.
Random(Int32)	Initializes a new instance of the Random class, using the specified seed value.

Properties

Shared

Provides a thread-safe Random instance that may be used concurrently from any thread.

Methods

Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object)
GetHashCode()	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object)
GetItems<T>(ReadOnlySpan<T>, Int32)	Creates an array populated with items chosen at random from the provided set of choices.
GetItems<T>(ReadOnlySpan<T>, Span<T>)	Fills the elements of a specified span with items chosen at random from the provided set of choices.
GetItems<T>(T[], Int32)	Creates an array populated with items chosen at random from the provided set of choices.
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
Next()	Returns a non-negative random integer.
Next(Int32, Int32)	Returns a random integer that is within a specified range.
Next(Int32)	Returns a non-negative random integer that is less than the specified maximum.
NextBytes(Byte[])	Fills the elements of a specified array of bytes with random numbers.
NextBytes(Span<Byte>)	Fills the elements of a specified span of bytes with random numbers.
NextDouble()	Returns a random floating-point number that is greater than or equal to 0.0, and less than 1.0.
NextInt64()	Returns a non-negative random integer.
NextInt64(Int64, Int64)	Returns a random integer that is within a specified range.
NextInt64(Int64)	Returns a non-negative random integer that is less than the specified maximum.
NextSingle()	Returns a random floating-point number that is greater than or equal to 0.0, and less than 1.0.
Sample()	Returns a random floating-point number between 0.0 and 1.0.
Shuffle<T>(Span<T>)	Performs an in-place shuffle of a span.
Shuffle<T>(T[])	Performs an in-place shuffle of an array.
ToString()	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object)

Applies to

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