how do i choose a random function?

need to select two, out of a possible eight

[londrum]

hi... hoping you can help me with a little problem i've got.

i've got a little script which writes some HTML onto the page, together with an image and a link. and i've wrapped it up inside a function.

i have eight of these functions, all writing something different to the page.

they are called

function random1(){ blah blah blah } 
function random2(){ blah blah blah } 
function random3(){ blah blah blah }

etc... up to

function random8

my problem is, i need to find a way of choosing just two of them (it's got to be two different ones each time).

i know how you can generate a random number between 1 and 8, but how can you generate TWO random numbers between 1 and 8, making sure that each one is different?

it's driving me nuts

[Trace]

This will produce 2 different random numbers;

<script type="text/javascript">
var randomNum1=Math.floor(Math.random()*8);
var randomNum2=randomNum1;
while (randomNum2 == randomNum1){
randomNum2=Math.floor(Math.random()*8);
}

alert(randomNum1 + ' and ' + randomNum2);
</script>

[londrum]

thankyou my friend, that chooses the two numbers perfect. but how do i then take those variable names (randomNum1, and randomNum1) and include them as part of the function name?

so i need to get

function random1 () { 
}

from

function random[randomNum1] () { 
}

...this is also driving me nuts

[Gibble]

How about

for (i = 1; i<=2; i++) {
 var n = Math.floor(Math.random()*8);
 switch(n)
 {
 case 1:
 random1();
 break 
 case 2:
 random2();
 break
 ...
 case 8:
 random8();
 }
}

And you can throw in a while statement to see if the new random variable is the same as the last one grabbed, and keep getting random numbers until they are different like Trace did in his(?) code.

[edited by: Gibble at 8:59 pm (utc) on Aug. 29, 2007]

[Little_G]

Hi,

You can use the eval function:

eval("random" + Math.ceil(Math.random()*8) + "()");

Andrew

[londrum]

i like that, that comes up with what i want, but how do i get it to actually call the function.
i've tried writing:

function (eval("random" + Math.ceil(Math.random()*8) + "();"));

i need it looking like:

function random5();

if i stick the eval function above in an alert box, it does come up with

random5();

[Little_G]

Hi,

It works like this:

function random1(){
return 1;
}
function random2(){
return 2;
}
function random3(){
return 3;
}

alert(eval("random" + Math.ceil(Math.random()*3) + "()"));

Andrew

[edited by: Little_G at 9:42 pm (utc) on Aug. 29, 2007]

[londrum]

don't worry, it was me being dopey.
i just had to use

eval("random" + Math.ceil(Math.random()*8) + "()");

on its own, like you said! works perfect.
that was just me assuming it was more difficult than it actually was.

thanks for all your help.

[Steerpike]

Out of personal curiosity why are you creating a bunch of random functions rather than creating one function and doing the randomising within that?

Is there a particular reason why you chose the method you did?

[londrum]

i'm trying to write stuff to the page the long-winded way - without using document.write. (my pages are actually served as XML, so i can't use document.write.)
that means i have to create all the elements, write in all the text, links and images. and i've got eight different versions of everything. it just seemed easier to put them each in a different function. but i'm a newbie with all this javascript stuff (as you can probably tell) so if there's a better way... be happy to do it.

i've got it working now, but i've come up against a javascript error in IE.
it doesn't really matter, though, because the script still fundtions perfectly well. but it keeps throwing up an 'Not implemented' error. Anyone know how to get rid of that?

Here is my (long-winded) script. I have cut some of it out to keep it short.

function pics(){
function random1(){
var pic1=document.createElement('div');
pic1.setAttribute('class','pic');
pic1.setAttribute('className','pic');
pic1.setAttribute('style','background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%');
pic1.style.cssText="background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%;";
var span1=document.createElement('span');
var pic1=document.createElement('a');
span1.appendChild(pic1);pic1.setAttribute('href','http://www.example.com');
pic1.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Anchor text'));
span1.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Some description text'));
pic1.appendChild(span1);
var scr=document.getElementById('pics');
scr.parentNode.insertBefore(pic1,scr);
}
function random2(){
var pic2=document.createElement('div');
pic2.setAttribute('class','pic');
pic2.setAttribute('className','pic');
pic2.setAttribute('style','background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%');
pic2.style.cssText="background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%;";
var span2=document.createElement('span');
var pic2=document.createElement('a');
span2.appendChild(pic2);pic1.setAttribute('href','http://www.example.com');
pic2.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Anchor text'));
span2.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Some description text'));
pic2.appendChild(span2);
var scr=document.getElementById('pics');
scr.parentNode.insertBefore(pic2,scr);
}

.... etc... up to random4

addLoadListener(eval("random" + Math.ceil(Math.random()*4)));
}

i know that the addLoadListener function works fine, so it's nothing to do with that.

[Little_G]

Hi,

You might be better of with something like this:

function create(r){
switch(r){
case 1:
var pic1=document.createElement('div');
pic1.setAttribute('class','pic');
pic1.setAttribute('className','pic');
pic1.setAttribute('style','background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%');
pic1.style.cssText="background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%;";
var span1=document.createElement('span');
var pic1=document.createElement('a');
span1.appendChild(pic1);pic1.setAttribute('href','http://www.example.com');
pic1.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Anchor text'));
span1.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Some description text'));
pic1.appendChild(span1);
var scr=document.getElementById('pics');
scr.parentNode.insertBefore(pic1,scr);
break;

case 2:
var pic2=document.createElement('div');
pic2.setAttribute('class','pic');
pic2.setAttribute('className','pic');
pic2.setAttribute('style','background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%');
pic2.style.cssText="background:url(/images/example.gif) no-repeat 0% 0%;";
var span2=document.createElement('span');
var pic2=document.createElement('a');
span2.appendChild(pic2);pic1.setAttribute('href','http://www.example.com');
pic2.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Anchor text'));
span2.appendChild(document.createTextNode('Some description text'));
pic2.appendChild(span2);
var scr=document.getElementById('pics');
scr.parentNode.insertBefore(pic2,scr);
break;
.... etc... up to random4
}

addLoadListener(create(Math.ceil(Math.random()*4)));

It avoids the use of eval which is normally quite slow.

Andrew

[londrum]

yup i'll change it to that.
i'm still getting that annoying little javascript error with IE though.
it doesn't stop the script from working though.

i've narrowed it down to these two lines (this is just example code, not the actual code):

var pic=document.createElement('img');
pic.setAttribute('href','http://www.example.com');

for some reason, IE7 doesn't like it when you set an href attribute on an <img> tag. when i remove the line, the 'Not implemented' error disappears, so it must be that.

Strangely, it doesn't mind if you set an href attribute on an <a> tag. what gives?

[rsndll]

HREF isn't an attribute of the IMG element so that would be why IE7 doesn't like it.

[londrum]

duh, of course. i should have put

src

.
thanks for all your help again, i'm sorted now.