Random Ordered List

[bschultz]

I have a text file with this content:

 

item1

item2

item3

item4

item1

item3

item1

 

So, item1 is in the list 3 times, item2 just once and item3 is in twice...as is item4.  The list is 36 items long.  I need to create a random order list for these items.  Ideally, I'd like to have this format:

 

item1|3

item2|1

item3|2

item4|2

 

 

which is item|times appearing in the list

 

I know that this code

$filename="words.txt";
$words=file($filename);
shuffle($words);
$word=$words[0];
echo $word;

will give me a random list, but not for the repeated stuff...and I'd like to limit it so that item1 can't repeat in proximity to another item1 in the list.  I have no idea how to pull this off.  Any ideas?

 

Thanks.

 

Brian

[.josh]

$list = file("words.txt");
sort($list);
$counts = array_count_values($list);
$list = array_unique($list);
$list = array_values($list);
foreach($list as $key => $val) {
   $list[$key] = "$val|{$counts[$val]}";
}

echo "<pre>";
print_r($list);
echo "</pre>";

[bschultz]

Thanks for the help, but it's not quite what I was looking for.  I wasn't real clear in my original post.

 

In my text file, I want item|# of times it needs to appear in the array.

 

So, snow|2  in the text file needs to put the word snow in the list twice

 

and, rain|4 in the text file needs to put rain in the array 4 times.

 

Thanks again!

[.josh]

Oh. Well then use the code you already posted:

 

$filename="words.txt";
$words=file($filename);
shuffle($words);
$word=$words[0];
echo $word;

 

file will take all the lines in words.txt and put them into an array, so if there's 4 lines with item1 in your file, it will be in the array 4 times.  Then you just shuffle it and pick one.  Now, you did say this:

 

and I'd like to limit it so that item1 can't repeat in proximity to another item1 in the list.

 

That will be hard, if not altogether impossible to accomplish.  What if you have like 10 item1's and 2 item2's and 1 item3's?  I have no idea what your data range/occurrence is/will be but that's something you also need to explain or at least consider.

[bschultz]

I thought that might be kinda hard (if not impossible) to do...thanks anyway!

[Barand]

will give me a random list, but not for the repeated stuff...and I'd like to limit it so that item1 can't repeat in proximity to another item1 in the list.

 

If you apply a limit like that then it's no longer random - you can't have both

[cooldude832]

you can try and yes not random

 

 

<?php
$filename="words.txt";
$words=file($filename);
$i = 0;
$list = 4;
while($i <$list){
shuffle($words);
$word=$words[0];
if($word != $last_word){
echo $word;
$last_word = $word;
$i++;
}
}
?>

 

Just don't use it with a big list and big array