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JavaScript

SAMUEL LAWRENCE
PLUS
SAMUEL LAWRENCE
Courses Plus Student 8,447 Points
Posted by SAMUEL LAWRENCE
SAMUEL LAWRENCE
Courses Plus Student 8,447 Points

Generate a random day

Hi guys, so I'm just doing a bit of practice. In the javaScript Loops, Arrays, Objects we've seen how to generate a random number and a random color. I wanted to extend that and try to generate a random day. I came up with this.

const daysOfWeek = ['Sun', 'Mon', 'Tues', 'Wed', 'Thurs', 'Fri', 'Sat'];
  let randomDay = Math.floor(Math.random() * 7);
  if (randomDay == 0) {
    console.log(daysOfWeek[0])
  } else if ( randomDay == 1) {
    console.log(daysOfWeek[1])
  } else if ( randomDay == 2) {
    console.log(daysOfWeek[2])
  } else if ( randomDay == 3) {
    console.log(daysOfWeek[3])
  } else if ( randomDay == 4) {
    console.log(daysOfWeek[4])
  } else if ( randomDay == 5) {
    console.log(daysOfWeek[5])
  } else {
    console.log(daysOfWeek[6])
  }

I tried to come up with a situation that involved less code by using a for... loop to cycle through the array but couldn't figure out how to take daysOfWeek[i] to generate a random day. A few solutions printed out numbers but it printed out all 7 numbers other times it printed out NaN but also all 7. So the only way I could think of was the above solution. Anyone has a better idea. Say you wanted to generate other random stuff, like random names, random countries, random foods and so on, how would you use the Math.random function to do so? Steven Parker and Luc de Brouwer

Thanks

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,007 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,007 Points

:bell: I got alerted by your tag, but it looks like Paul beat me to it.

Paul's first suggestion is the same thing I would have said.

2 Answers

paulscanlon
paulscanlon
Courses Plus Student 26,735 Points

Hey Samuel

I tried this and found it was ok.

const daysOfWeek = ['Sun', 'Mon', 'Tues', 'Wed', 'Thurs', 'Fri', 'Sat'];
let r = Math.floor(Math.random() * 7);

console.log(daysOfWeek[r]);

It sets the random number generator to the array index. Simple, but it works.

Hope it helped, happy coding

Paul

paulscanlon
paulscanlon
Courses Plus Student 26,735 Points

EDIT: Just realised if you change the number (7) in your random number generator and replace it with

daysOfWeek.length

You can add more items to the array.

Paul

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,007 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,007 Points

That will come in handy when you revise the calendar to have more days in a week! :smirk:

paulscanlon
PLUS
paulscanlon
Courses Plus Student 26,735 Points
paulscanlon
paulscanlon
Courses Plus Student 26,735 Points

Hehe Steven Parker

I didn't mean it to sound like that.....you know what I mean

SAMUEL LAWRENCE
SAMUEL LAWRENCE
Courses Plus Student 8,447 Points
SAMUEL LAWRENCE
SAMUEL LAWRENCE
Courses Plus Student 8,447 Points

Hey Paul Scanlon and Steven Parker Thanks so much. The .length property comes in handy if I wanna generate a random thing of a different array like vegetables. Thanks so much guys.