VBScript in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Name

Rnd Function

Syntax

Rnd[(seed)]

seed

Use: Optional

Data Type: Single

Any valid numeric expression.

Return Value

A random number of variant type Single.

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 objExcel, objBook, objSheet Dim intRow, intCol ' Start Excel Set objExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application") ' Get or create active worksheet If objExcel.ActiveSheet Is Nothing Then Set objBook = objExcel.Workbooks.Add End If Set objSheet = objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.ActiveSheet Randomize ' make Excel visible objExcel.Visible = True ' 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 ...