What is array.sample() in Ruby?

The array.sample() method is a Ruby array method used to select a random element or a specified number of random elements from an array.

Syntax

array.sample
# or
array.sample(n)

Parameters

  • n: This is optional. It is the number of random elements to return.

Return Value

The value returned is a random element or array of random elements if a numeric argument is passed.

Code

# creating arrays
languagesArray = ["Java", "C++", "Python", "Javascript", "Ruby on Rails!" ]
numbersArray = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
alphabetsArray = ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"]
booleanArray = [true, false]
animalsArray = ["dog", "cat", "rat", "cow", "bat"]
# get random elements
a = languagesArray.sample
b = numbersArray.sample
c = alphabetsArray.sample(2)    # return 2 random elements
d = animalsArray.sample(4)      # return 4 random elements
e = booleanArray.sample
puts "#{a}"
puts "#{b}"
puts "#{c}"
puts "#{d}"
puts "#{e}"

Explanation

The code above shows how the method works with and without the argument passed by storing the result of the method call and displaying the results.

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