Windows apps
Collapse the table of content
Expand the table of content
Information
The topic you requested is included in another documentation set. For convenience, it's displayed below. Choose Switch to see the topic in its original location.

Random Class

Represents a pseudo-random number generator, a device that produces a sequence of numbers that meet certain statistical requirements for randomness.

Namespace: System
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)

'Declaration
<SerializableAttribute> _
<ComVisibleAttribute(True)> _
Public Class Random
'Usage
Dim instance As Random

/** @attribute SerializableAttribute() */ 
/** @attribute ComVisibleAttribute(true) */ 
public class Random
SerializableAttribute 
ComVisibleAttribute(true) 
public class Random
Not applicable.

Pseudo-random numbers are chosen with equal probability from a finite set of numbers. The chosen numbers are not completely random because a definite mathematical algorithm is used to select them, but they are sufficiently random for practical purposes. The current implementation of the Random class is based on Donald E. Knuth's subtractive random number generator algorithm. For more information, see D. E. Knuth. "The Art of Computer Programming, volume 2: Seminumerical Algorithms". Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, second edition, 1981.

The random number generation starts from a seed value. If the same seed is used repeatedly, the same series of numbers is generated. One way to produce different sequences is to make the seed value time-dependent, thereby producing a different series with each new instance of Random. By default, the parameterless constructor of the Random class uses the system clock to generate its seed value, while its parameterized constructor can take an Int32 value based on the number of ticks in the current time.

However, because the clock has finite resolution, creating different Random objects in close succession creates random number generators that produce identical sequences of random numbers. This problem can be avoided by creating a single Random object rather than multiple ones.

To improve performance, create one Random to generate many random numbers over time, instead of repeatedly creating a new Random to generate one random number.

To generate a cryptographically secure random number suitable for creating a random password, for example, use a class derived from System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator such as System.Security.Cryptography.RNGCryptoServiceProvider.

Notes to Inheritors: In the .NET Framework versions 1.0 and 1.1, a minimum implementation of a class derived from Random required overriding the Sample method to define a new or modified algorithm for generating random numbers. The derived class could then rely on the base class implementation of the Random.Next, Random.Next(Int32), Random.Next(Int32,Int32), NextBytes, and NextDouble methods to call the derived class implementation of the Sample method. In the .NET Framework version 2.0 and later, the behavior of the Random.Next, Random.Next(Int32,Int32), and NextBytes methods have changed so that these methods do not necessarily call the derived class implementation of the Sample method. As a result, classes derived from Random that target the .NET Framework 2.0 and later should also override these three methods.

The following code example creates Random objects with different overloads of the class constructor and generates sequences of random integers and doubles from the objects.

' Example of the Random class constructors and Random.NextDouble( ) 
' method.
Imports System.Threading

Module RandomObjectDemo

    ' Generate random numbers from the specified Random object.
    Sub RunIntNDoubleRandoms( randObj As Random )

        ' Generate the first six random integers.
        Dim j As Integer
        For j = 0 To 5
            Console.Write( " {0,10} ", randObj.Next( ) )
        Next j
        Console.WriteLine( )
            
        ' Generate the first six random doubles.
        For j = 0 To 5
            Console.Write( " {0:F8} ", randObj.NextDouble( ) )
        Next j
        Console.WriteLine( )
    End Sub 
        
    ' Create a Random object with the specified seed.
    Sub FixedSeedRandoms( seed As Integer )

        Console.WriteLine( vbCrLf & _
            "Random numbers from a Random object with " & _
            "seed = {0}:", seed )
        Dim fixRand As New Random( seed )
            
        RunIntNDoubleRandoms( fixRand )
    End Sub 
        
    ' Create a random object with a timer-generated seed.
    Sub AutoSeedRandoms( )

        ' Wait to allow the timer to advance.
        Thread.Sleep( 1 )
            
        Console.WriteLine( vbCrLf & _
            "Random numbers from a Random object " & _ 
            "with an auto-generated seed:" )
        Dim autoRand As New Random( )
            
        RunIntNDoubleRandoms( autoRand )
    End Sub 
        
    Sub Main( )
        Console.WriteLine( _
            "This example of the Random class constructors " & _
            "and Random.NextDouble( ) " & vbCrLf & _
            "generates the following output." & vbCrLf )
        Console.WriteLine( "Create Random " & _
            "objects, and then generate and display six " & _
            "integers and " & vbCrLf & "six doubles from each." )
            
        FixedSeedRandoms( 123 )
        FixedSeedRandoms( 123 )
            
        FixedSeedRandoms( 456 )
        FixedSeedRandoms( 456 )
            
        AutoSeedRandoms( )
        AutoSeedRandoms( )
        AutoSeedRandoms( )
    End Sub
End Module 

' This example of the Random class constructors and Random.NextDouble( )
' generates the following output.
' 
' Create Random objects, and then generate and display six integers and
' six doubles from each.
' 
' Random numbers from a Random object with seed = 123:
'  2114319875  1949518561  1596751841  1742987178  1586516133   103755708
'  0.01700087  0.14935942  0.19470390  0.63008947  0.90976122  0.49519146
' 
' Random numbers from a Random object with seed = 123:
'  2114319875  1949518561  1596751841  1742987178  1586516133   103755708
'  0.01700087  0.14935942  0.19470390  0.63008947  0.90976122  0.49519146
' 
' Random numbers from a Random object with seed = 456:
'  2044805024  1323311594  1087799997  1907260840   179380355   120870348
'  0.21988117  0.21026556  0.39236514  0.42420498  0.24102703  0.47310170
' 
' Random numbers from a Random object with seed = 456:
'  2044805024  1323311594  1087799997  1907260840   179380355   120870348
'  0.21988117  0.21026556  0.39236514  0.42420498  0.24102703  0.47310170
' 
' Random numbers from a Random object with an auto-generated seed:
'  1920831619  1346865774  2006582766  1968819760   332463652   110770792
'  0.71326689  0.50383335  0.50446082  0.66312569  0.94517193  0.58059287
' 
' Random numbers from a Random object with an auto-generated seed:
'   254927927  1205531663  1984850027   110020849  1438111494  1697714106
'  0.19383387  0.52067738  0.74162783  0.35063667  0.31247720  0.38773733
' 
' Random numbers from a Random object with an auto-generated seed:
'   736507882  1064197552  1963117288   398705585   396275689  1137173773
'  0.67440084  0.53752140  0.97879483  0.03814764  0.67978248  0.19488178

Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Windows 98, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows CE, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Starter Edition

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 is supported on Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP2, and Windows Server 2003 SP1.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.0, 2.0, 1.1, 1.0

.NET Compact Framework

Supported in: 2.0, 1.0

XNA Framework

Supported in: 1.0

Community Additions

Show:
© 2017 Microsoft