A PHP library for randomly picking items from collections and generating random numbers with advanced options like seeding, weighting, and more.
- Pick random items from collections
- Generate random numbers with optional seeding
- Support for weighted item selection
- Option to allow or prevent duplicates in selections
- Consistent results with seeded randomization
use BenTools\Picker\Picker;
$items = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'];
$picker = Picker::fromItems($items);
$randomItem = $picker->pick(); // Returns a random item from the array
It will avoid, as much as possible, picking the same item twice in a row.
If all items have been picked, it will cycle through them again.
use BenTools\Picker\Picker;
use BenTools\Picker\ItemPicker\ItemPickerOptions;
$options = new ItemPickerOptions(allowDuplicates: false);
$picker = Picker::fromItems($items, $options);
$randomItem = $picker->pick(); // Will cycle through all items before repeating
use function BenTools\Picker\random_int;
// Alternative to PHP's built-in random_int with optional seeding
$randomNumber = random_int(1, 100); // Behaves like PHP's random_int()
$seededNumber = random_int(1, 100, 12345); // Deterministic output for given seed
use BenTools\Picker\Picker;
use BenTools\Picker\ItemPicker\ItemPickerOptions;
use BenTools\Picker\ItemPicker\Algorithm\Algorithm;
$options = new ItemPickerOptions(
algorithm: Algorithm::RANDOM, // Selection algorithm
defaultWeight: 1, // Default weight for items
allowDuplicates: true, // Whether to allow the same item to be picked multiple times
maxLoops: PHP_INT_MAX, // Maximum number of times to loop through all items
seed: 12345, // Optional seed for reproducible results
// weights: $customWeightProvider // Custom weight provider implementation
);
$picker = Picker::fromItems(['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'], $options);
- Randomizing elements in games
- Implementing A/B testing
- Creating fair selection mechanisms
- Generating random but reproducible test data
- Implementing weighted random selection for various algorithms
This library requires PHP 8.2+.
composer require bentools/picker
./vendor/bin/pest