From: Robert Dober <robert.dober@...>
Date: 2008-07-18T17:00:43+09:00
Subject: Re: inserting a random item from an array

On Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 7:05 AM, Zoe Phoenix
<dark_sgtphoenix@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I'm trying to have Ruby generate a random list of 30 links to put at the
> bottom of a web page and write it to a file. I think I'm on the right
> track of how to do it, but I'm not sure...
>
> ##############
> citylist = ['Orlando',
> 'Tampa',
> 'Fort Lauderdale',
> 'Miami',
> 'St. Petersburg',
> 'Etc.'
> ]
>
> output =
> 30.times do [rand(citylist.length)]
>  %Q(<a
> href="http://www.website.com/cities/website#{rand(citylist.length)}.html">Website
> #{rand(citylist.length)}</a> | )
> end
>
> File::open("I:\\My Documents\\Stuff\\More Stuff\\websitelinks.txt", 'w')
> do |f|
>    f.write output
>    end
>
> ##############
>
> I may be mistaken about the use of the block here... Someone please tell
> me what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it?  The two instances of the
> city inside the block should be the same, but I'm not sure how to do
> that. Doesn't rand make it a random city each time it's interpreted or
> since it's in a block, would it be the same each time the block
> repeats..?
> --
> Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
>
>


Hmm I would just do this
File::open(...,"w") do | f |
  f.puts citylist.sort_by{ rand }[0...30].
     map { | florida_agglomoration |
       %{a href="http:....#{florida_agglomoration} etc.etc.  }
     }
end

Your above code created potential doubletons, did not assure the
consistency between links and the text.

HTH
Robert


-- 
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