Random XML values in PHP

[marz_dh]

I am basically a Flash programmer dabbling in PHP.

Now what I am tying to create is a PHP file that communicates between XML and Flash. My XML file has around 100 values and I want the PHP file to randomly pick any 10 and pass them on to Flash.

How do you go about picking any 10 values from the 100.

eg.
<file>
<num>1</num>
<num>2.....
</file>

Now I want PHP to pick up any 10 <num> values from the 100 which are entered.

[Ben Smith]

Err. Why don't you just make PHP do a random number between 1 and 100, 10 times, and then pass it on in the same file...

[Jeff Wheeler]

Something like this…


<?php

$xmlstr = <<<XML
<?xml version='1.0' standalone='yes'?>
<content>
<value>Value 1</value>
<value>Value 2</value>
<value>Value 3</value>
<value>Value 4</value>
<value>Value 5</value>
<value>Value 6</value>
<value>Value 7</value>
<value>Value 8</value>
<value>Value 9</value>
<value>Value 10</value>
<value>Value 11</value>
<value>Value 12</value>
<value>Value 13</value>
<value>Value 14</value>
<value>Value 15</value>
<value>Value 16</value>
<value>Value 17</value>
<value>Value 18</value>
<value>Value 19</value>
<value>Value 20</value>
<value>Value 21</value>
<value>Value 22</value>
<value>Value 23</value>
<value>Value 24</value>
<value>Value 25</value>
<value>Value 26</value>
<value>Value 27</value>
<value>Value 28</value>
<value>Value 29</value>
<value>Value 30</value>
</content>
XML;

$xml = simplexml_load_string($xmlstr);

$random_numbers = array();
while (count($random_numbers)<10) {
$random = rand(0,29);
if (!in_array($random, $random_numbers)) {
$random_numbers[] = $random;
}
}

foreach ($random_numbers as $random_number) {
echo $xml->value[$random_number].'<br />';
}

?>

(Requires PHP5.)