Generate random number in PHP
When you need to save multiple files in same directory, then you need to generate random number everytime. Generating random numbers in PHP can be done by many ways.
In this article, we will discuss built-in functions which can be used to generate random numbers in PHP.
rand() function
The rand() function generates a random integer value.
Syntax
rand($min, $max)
Parameters
$max optional default getrandmax()(2147483647)
<?php
echo(rand()); // 14870
If you want to get values between two digits, include these parameters. Suppose you want random number between 100 and 1000, pass them in function arguments.
<?php
echo(rand(100, 1000)); // 458
mt_rand() function
Generate random number using the Mersenne Twister Random number generator. This is four times faster and more secure than rand() function.
Syntax
mt_rand($min, $max)
Parameters
$max optional default mt_getrandmax()
<?php
echo mt_rand(); // 14314917
mt_rand() function also accepts two arguments, minimum and maximum integer value. It will return integer number between minimum and miximum number.
<?php
echo mt_rand(100, 1000); // 752
random_int() function
random_int() function generates cryptographically secured pseudo-random integer number.
Syntax
random_int($min, $max)
Parameters
$max The highest number to be returned, should be less than or equal to PHP_INT_MAX.
<?php
echo(random_int(100, 1000)); // 459
echo(random_int(-1000, -100)); // -121
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