Re: Reseeding rand()/mt_rand()

Hi Christoph, Christoph M. Becker wrote:

Just a quick idea: <?php class PNRG {

    public function __construct($seed = null) {…}
    public function get() {…}

}

I've long favoured an API along these lines. One size does not fit all, you need two APIs for (non-crytographic) random numbers: - automatically-seeded, non-reproducible numbers (a global function like rand()) - manually-seeded, reproducible number sequences (objects) Currently we mix these two, and it's a mess. The easy solution would be a random number-generating object like you propose, to cover the second use-case. We could also introduce a non-manually-seedable global PRNG also, if desired. Perhaps as a static method of that class. One thought: it'd be nice if you had two different methods, one that mutates in places, and one that doesn't, i.e.: $prng1 = new PRNG(SEED); [$randomNumber, $prng2] = $prng2->getWithNewPRNG(); v.s.: $prng = new PRNG(SEED); $randomNumber = $prng->get(); $randomNumber2 = $prng->get(); Thanks! -- Andrea Faulds https://ajf.me/