VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language

Rnd Function

Named Arguments

No

Syntax

Rnd[(seed)]

seed

Use: Optional

Data Type: Single

Any valid numeric expression.

Return Value

A Single data type random number.

Description

Returns a random number.

Rules at a Glance

• The behavior of the Rnd function is determined by seed, as described in this table:

  number	Rnd Generates...
  < 0	The same number each time, using seed as the seed number
  > 0	The next random number in the current sequence
  0	The most recently generated number
  Not supplied	The next random number in the current sequence

• The Rnd function always returns a value between and 1.

• If number isn't supplied, the Rnd function uses the last number generated as the seed for the next generated number. This means that given an initial seed (seed ), the same sequence is generated if number isn't supplied on subsequent calls.

Example

The following example uses the Randomize statement along with the Rnd function to fill 100 cells of an Excel worksheet with random numbers.

Public Sub GenerateRandomNumbers() Dim objSheet As Worksheet Dim intRow As Integer, intCol As Integer Set objSheet = Application.ActiveWorkbook.ActiveSheet Randomize ' Set the color of the input text to blue objSheet.Cells.Font.ColorIndex = 5 ' Loop through first 10 rows & columns, ' filling them with random numbers For intRow = 1 To 10 For intCol = 1 To 10 objSheet.Cells(intRow, intCol).Value = Rnd Next Next ' Resize columns to accommodate random numbers objSheet.Columns("A:C").AutoFit Set objSheet = Nothing End ...