this works great
--------------------------------------------
function Get-RandomElement($Array)
{ $Array[ $Random.Next( $Array.Count ) ] }

$test="1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6"

$Random=New-Object Random

$Message = Get-RandomElement $test
$Message
--------------------------------------------
but, if I change this line:
$test="1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6"
and put this line:
$test = Read-Host "input"
(input is: "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6")



i'm getting single " as result always. whats wrong ?

Read-Host returns a string or secure string... not an array.

So when $test gets passed an argument for Get-RandomElement, it's trying to get the "count" of a string (which returns nothing) and the Random Object is interpreting that as Zero.

See this for an example to illustrate:

$random = new-object Random
$test = read-host

INPUT: "1","2","3"

$random.next($test.count)


Your function when used with Read-Host is returning the $test[0] character every time (which happens to be " in your example).

Gaurhoth


"MiroslavK" <MiroslavK@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message newsD9B9064-A84F-4DED-9C47-BB03B06CE559@microsoft.com...
> this works great
> --------------------------------------------
> function Get-RandomElement($Array)
> { $Array[ $Random.Next( $Array.Count ) ] }
>
> $test="1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6"
>
> $Random=New-Object Random
>
> $Message = Get-RandomElement $test
> $Message
> --------------------------------------------
> but, if I change this line:
> $test="1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6"
> and put this line:
> $test = Read-Host "input"
> (input is: "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6")
>
> i'm getting single " as result always. whats wrong ?

> $test = Read-Host "input"
> (input is: "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6")
>
> i'm getting single " as result always. whats wrong ?


your input isn't entering an array , but ratehr just one string, and
thus can't be indexed.. If you are sure that the user is going to type
the input in the format you wish

$test = Read-Host "input"
$test.split(',')
.....

however in this case they can just enter in 1,2,3,4,5 since its
already a string.. if you want them to enter in the "" then you'll
have to remove that after the .split(',')

-Karl

On Jul 5, 8:56 pm, "Gaurhoth" <gaurh...@live.com> wrote:
> Read-Host returns a string or secure string... not an array.
>
> So when $test gets passed an argument for Get-RandomElement, it's trying to get the "count" of a string (which returns nothing) and the Random Object is interpreting that as Zero.
>
> See this for an example to illustrate:
>
> $random = new-object Random
> $test = read-host
>
> INPUT: "1","2","3"
>
> $random.next($test.count)
>
> Your function when used with Read-Host is returning the $test[0] character every time (which happens to be " in your example).
>
> Gaurhoth
>
> "MiroslavK" <Mirosl...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in messagenewsD9B9064-A84F-4DED-9C47-BB03B06CE559@microsoft.com...
> > this works great
> > --------------------------------------------
> > function Get-RandomElement($Array)
> > { $Array[ $Random.Next( $Array.Count ) ] }
>
> > $test="1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6"
>
> > $Random=New-Object Random
>
> > $Message = Get-RandomElement $test
> > $Message
> > --------------------------------------------
> > but, if I change this line:
> > $test="1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6"
> > and put this line:
> > $test = Read-Host "input"
> > (input is: "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6")
>
> > i'm getting single " as result always. whats wrong ?

This, however, seems to work fine with comma-separated input with or
without quotation marks:

function Get-RandomElement($inputstring) {
$array = invoke-expression $inputstring
$array[$Random.Next($Array.Count)]
}

-Hecks

>
> function Get-RandomElement($inputstring) {
> $array = invoke-expression $inputstring
> $array[$Random.Next($Array.Count)]
>
> }
>
> -Hecks- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

and if sometime types del *.* instead of "1","2","3","4" you are in
trouble

<klumsy@xtra.co.nz> wrote in message
news:1183665488.758290.121450@q69g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
....
> your input isn't entering an array , but ratehr just one string, and
> thus can't be indexed..

I don't think so:

PS> $string="hello world"
PS> $string[0]
h
PS> $string[10]
d

I'd rather think the problem comes from the generation of the random number.
If you repeatedly create a new random object right before generating a
random number you will likely generate series of the same number. If instead
you create a new random object once and then generate new random numbers
from the same object, you will get a much more effective distribution of
random results. Don't ask me why, but that is the result of my tests with
this object.

Very simple repro test:

PS> while (1) {$random=new-object random;$random.next(10)}

Hit Ctrl-C after a couple of seconds and notice the pattern. Now type this:

PS> $random=new-object random; while (1) {$random.next(10)}

Hit Ctrl-C again after a couple of seconds. You will notice a distribution
of numbers much more... random.

Jacques

i wasn't even looking at the random thing, but at the syntax of
treating an array of strings that was explicitly declared, versus a
plain text string input from read-host.

<klumsy@xtra.co.nz> wrote in message
news:1183677365.023926.120860@r34g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
>i wasn't even looking at the random thing, but at the syntax of
> treating an array of strings that was explicitly declared, versus a
> plain text string input from read-host.

My bad, sorry. I read the post much too quickly last night. I had noticed
the misinterpretation of the input from read-host but I hadn't noticed the
usage of Count which doesn't exist as a method on strings (as explained by
Gaurhoth in his answer).

Thanks,
Jacques