Total beginner question - Printable Version

Total beginner question - Printable Version

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Total beginner question - AngelForge - Apr-04-2017

Hi,

first of all, I hope I'm in the right section of the forum.

I decided to learn a programming language and some Youtube videos later, I decided to go for Python.
As a child I used to play around with basic on the C64 and I had some contact to free pascal lately.

So, I think the best way to start for me is to play around with Python. Write little programs for fun like I did back when I was a child.

So, here is my problem. I want to generate random numbers, to simulate a dice roll, for example.
I the Python 3.6.0 documentation I found:

9.6. random - Generate pseudo-random numbers

I read through it and tried out various things but I always get error messages.
My goal was to have a variable get a random value.

So, how is that done? Can someone help me with that?

Thank you! :-)
Sven

RE: Total beginner question - wavic - Apr-04-2017

from random import randint

result = randint(1, 6)

This will return a random integer between 1 and 6
Ref: https://docs.python.org/3/library/random.html#random.randint

RE: Total beginner question - AngelForge - Apr-04-2017

Thank you for your answer, Wavic! :-)

Do I understand it correcly, that I have to use the line:

from random import randint (a,b)

only once at the start of the program and can use it multiple times then?

And if I like to use other option, I just add them like:

from random import random

RE: Total beginner question - wavic - Apr-04-2017

random is the module which you import or import a class, method from it.
Yes you can do for another method the same or for few of them separated with a comma.
That way you import only what you need instead of the whole module

You can use it like this too

import random

#      module   method
#          |      |
#          |      | 
result = random.randint(1, 6)

You import here the whole random module and can use all of its classes and methods: module.method(), module.class.method()

https://python-forum.io/Thread-Basic-Modules-part-1
https://python-forum.io/Thread-Basic-Modules-part-2
https://python-forum.io/Thread-Basic-Modules-part-3

RE: Total beginner question - AngelForge - Apr-04-2017

Thank you, especially for the extra explanation. :-)

RE: Total beginner question - Larz60+ - Apr-04-2017

You may also like to look at what others have done, see: https://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=dice+roll&submit=search

RE: Total beginner question - Low_Ki_ - Apr-04-2017

Heres something I've come up with when it comes to dice rolls... Hope it helps.

from random import randint

class Die:

    def __init__(self, sides, roll=0):
        self.sides = sides
        self.roll = roll

    def roll_die(self):
        if self.sides==6:
            while self.roll < 6:
                print("You roll a six sided die: " + str(randint(1, 6)))
                self.roll += 1
        elif self.sides==10:
            while self.roll < 6:
                print("You roll a ten sided die: " + str(randint(1, 10)))
                self.roll += 1
        elif self.sides==20:
            while self.roll < 6:
                print("You roll a twenty sided die: " + str(randint(1, 20)))
                self.roll += 1
        else:
            print("Mistakes have been made!")


six_sided_die = Die(6)
six_sided_die.roll_die()
print('')
ten_sided_die = Die(10)
ten_sided_die.roll_die()
print('')
twty_sided_die = Die(20)
twty_sided_die.roll_die()

RE: Total beginner question - ichabod801 - Apr-04-2017

I don't think that's what he's really looking for. Your Die object rolls six times at once, and then won't roll again. Something simpler and more to the point would be:

import random

class Die(object):

    def __init__(self, sides = 6):
        self.sides = sides
        self.roll()

    def roll(self):
        self.up_face = random.randint(1, 6)
        return self.up_face

Output:>>> d6 = Die()
>>> d6.roll()
6
>>> d6.roll()
6
>>> d6.roll()
1

Or even simpler:

import random

def roll_die(sides = 6):
    return random.randint(1, sides)

Output:>>> roll_die()
2
>>> roll_die()
6
>>> roll_die()
4

RE: Total beginner question - Low_Ki_ - Apr-08-2017

Oh i see now. Because I assign 0 to roll then use a while loop saying while roll < 6... He is looking for a re-roll object. I did this example just to show the random.randint() method being repeated for practice.