Problem with random numbers

[yaya]

So I made a function that creates a random number between the desired numbers. It works out all fine but when you call the function for a second time, the recieve the same number again and again. This is the function here:

int random(int LOW, int HIGH, int VALUE)
{
    time_t seconds;
    time(&seconds);
    VALUE = rand() % (HIGH - LOW + 1) + LOW;
    return (VALUE);
}

So what am I doing wrong?

[vart]

don't you call by chance srand before every call of your function?

[yaya]

don't you call by chance srand before every call of your function?

Umm... I don't understand.

[Salem]

> time(&seconds);
What happens after this?
You're not even using seconds, so by bother reading the time, if you're not going to use the result?

vart just took a guess that the line of code you omitted from your post is something like
srand( seconds );

Which, if you call the same function many times in the same second, will return the same result every time.

[mike_g]

You should be able to drop the time bit completely out your random number generator. Heres one I made. Basically, like vart said, you only need to seed the randomization once. If you repeatedly seed it in a loop it will have the reverse effect.

int Rand(int lo, int hi){return lo+(rand() % (hi-lo+1));} 

int main()
{
      srand(time(NULL)); //Seed randomisation once at the start of the prog
      int i;
      for(i=1;i<=30;i++) cout << Rand(2, 10) << "\n"; 
      cin >> i;
      return 0;
}

[laserlight]

I think yaya needs to be eternally confuzzled by Prelude:
Random Numbers Tutorial
Using rand()

[brewbuck]

So what am I doing wrong?

You're calling time(). This makes me terribly suspicious that you are also calling srand() but you haven't posted it.

You have a pointless argument called VALUE. It is needless, get rid of it.