Randomize HTML string output

Question

<?php 
    $random1 = '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Why join the navy<BR />if you can be a pirate.</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>';
    $random2 = '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem2</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>';
    $random3 = '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem3</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>';
    echo(rand($random1, $random2, $random3));
?>

So I've written the code above. I want my code to randomize the quote that appears. Would there be an user-friendly way of implementing this in a website?

I'm building a website in Wordpress and I was wondering if Wordpress (or PHP) had an easier method of randomizing output.

Kevin · Accepted Answer · 2014-12-17 01:34:26Z

11

Alternatively, you could define an array which contains HTML strings and then use an array_rand() function to get a random entry/element. Example:

// set of elements with random quotes
$quotes = array(
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Why join the navy<BR />if you can be a pirate.</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem2</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem3</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
);

// apply array_rand function
echo $quotes[array_rand($quotes)];

edited Dec 17, 2014 at 1:34

answered Aug 27, 2014 at 13:20

Kevin

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Comments

Rimble · Accepted Answer · 2014-08-27 13:20:38Z

0

$random = array();

$random[] = '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Why join the navy<BR />if you can be a pirate.</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>';
$random[] = '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem2</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>';
$random[] = '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem3</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>';

shuffle($random);

foreach($random as $quote)
{
    echo $quote;
}

answered Aug 27, 2014 at 13:20

Rimble

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3 Comments

Daryl Gill Over a year ago

This would randomize the array for sure. But display all of the elements

Rimble Over a year ago

True I misread the question a bit. Could use $random[0] for a random quote.

Daryl Gill Over a year ago

That, or if you really wish to use a foreach (which I personally wouldn't) use break; after the first iteration so the loop does not repeat

Frank Bonnet · Accepted Answer · 2014-08-27 13:23:46Z

0

I would use something like this:

<?php 
$quotes = array(
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Why join the navy<BR />if you can be a pirate.</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem2</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem3</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>'
);

echo($quotes[mt_rand(0, (count($quotes) - 1))]);

?>

answered Aug 27, 2014 at 13:23

Frank Bonnet

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Comments

Matthew · Accepted Answer · 2014-08-27 13:26:10Z

0

You could also do this clean and simply:

$quotes = array(
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Why join the navy<BR />if you can be a pirate.</h2>    <h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem2</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
    '<p>Quotes van de fans:</p><h2>Lorem3</h2><h3>Steve jobs</h3>',
);

echo $quotes[rand(0,2)]; // 0-2 (Since array's start on 0)

answered Aug 27, 2014 at 13:26

Matthew

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1 Comment

scrowler Over a year ago

What if the array expands?

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