Question

In this fiddle http://jsfiddle.net/5L8Q8/28/, if you click the black button, it randomly selects one of two values (red or blue) from an array. The randomly selected value is assigned to ran. In my real life application, there will be 16 elements in that array.

If you the pink “playagain” button, it chooses a random element from the same array but I want to make sure it’s not the same one chosen as last time.

Therefore, when I click playagain, I assign ran to lastran and compare it to the next randomly chosen value from the array and, if they are the same, choose randomly again. However, the way I have it isn’t guaranteeing that (upon the completion of playagain) ran is different.

I think I need a recursive function where comment 2 is in the code below, but I keep breaking my code when I try to create it.

Can you comment on the 3 comments in the code below?

Note, I’m a relative newbie, so this code is probably awful…

$("#playagain").click(function(){
    lastran = ran; 


    ran = getRandom(myArray, true);

    if (ran === lastran) { 

        ran = getRandom(myArray, true); //1. do I need to return this?

           //2. want to test ran === lastran again.. How to set up recursive function?

    } else {

       return; //3.is this the right thing to do here?
    }  

});

Answer 1

You can use a while loop instead of the if.

while(ran == lastran)
{
  ran = getRandom(myArray, true);
}

It’ll keep trying until it gets a different value.