pythonrandomrandom-seed

Python random sequence with seed


I'm doing this for a school project (so I can't use any advanced features) and I'm using Python 2.6.6.

I have a list of numbers from 1 to 1000 and a seed (448 for example).

How can I generate a random sequence with that seed so that the numbers in my list will be in a different index ?

And is it possible, knowing the seed, to return the list in its original order ?


Solution

  • import random
    SEED = 448
    
    myList = [ 'list', 'elements', 'go', 'here' ]
    random.seed(SEED)
    random.shuffle(myList)
    
    print myList
    

    results in

    ['here', 'go', 'list', 'elements']
    

    Your list is now pseudorandomized.

    'Pseudo' is important, because all lists having the same seed and number of items will return in the same 'random' order. We can use this to un-shuffle your list; if it were truly random, this would be impossible.

    Order = list(range(len(myList)))
    # Order is a list having the same number of items as myList,
    # where each position's value equals its index
    
    random.seed(SEED)
    random.shuffle(Order)
    # Order is now shuffled in the same order as myList;
    # so each position's value equals its original index
    
    originalList = [0]*len(myList)   # empty list, but the right length
    for index,originalIndex in enumerate(Order):
        originalList[originalIndex] = myList[index]
        # copy each item back to its original index
    
    print originalList
    

    results in

    ['list', 'elements', 'go', 'here']
    

    Tada! originalList is now the original ordering of myList.