Definition and Usage
The 'mt' prefix in function's name stands for Mersenne Twister. The mt_rand() function returns an integer using Mersenne Twister Random Number Generator method. This function is a drop-in replacement for PHP's rand() function. default range is between 0 and platform specific mt_getrandmax(). On 64 bit Windows OS, it is 2147483647. The mt_rand() function can be called without arguments (in which case the default range will be used) or by specifying min and max parameters.
This function always returns an integer.
Syntax
mt_rand ( void ) : int mt_rand ( int $min , int $max ) : int
Parameters
| Sr.No | Parameter & Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | min lower limit of range to return a number from. Default is 0 |
| 2 | max Upper limit of range to return a number from. Default is mt_ getrandmax() |
Return Values
PHP mt_rand() function returns an integer between min and max using Mersenne Twister Random Number Generator technique This function is four times faster than rand() function. Note that this is not .advised to be used for cryptographic purpose.
PHP Version
This function is available in PHP versions 4.x, PHP 5.x as well as PHP 7.x.
Example
This example returns random number by calling mt_rand() without arguments−
<?php echo "random number with no parameters mt_rand() = " . mt_rand() . "\n"; echo "another random number with no parameters mt_rand() = " . mt_rand() . "\n"; ?>
Output
This may produce following result (it being a random number, it is more likely to return different number every time)−
random number with no parameters mt_rand() = 173620951 another random number with no parameters mt_rand() = 749065865
Example
Following example specifies min and max arguments for mt_rand() function−
<?php echo "mt_rand(11,30) = " . mt_rand(11,30) . "\n"; echo "mt_rand(11,30) = " . mt_rand(11,30) . "\n"; ?>
Output
This may produce following result (it being a random number, it is more likely to return different number every time)−
mt_rand(11,30) = 24 mt_rand(11,30) = 14
Example
Fractional part of float values of min and max parameters will be ignored−
<?php echo "mt_rand(10.5,50.95) = " . mt_rand(10.55, 50.95) . "\n"; ?>
Output
This may produce following result−
mt_rand(10.5,50.95) = 31