Since the array has exatly the size of the random value range (which is 20), you will get every number exactly once. It's easiest to create every number once using Enumerable.Range and only change the order in which they appear.
Changing the order can be done by OrderBy(), while random is used here.
This is all based on IEnumerable<T>. So it needs to be put into an array, which is simply done by calling ToArray().
public int[] RandomlyOrderedValues()
{
Random random = new Random();
return Enumerable.Range(1, 20).OrderBy(x => random.Next()).ToArray();
}
I'm not your teacher but hope you still play around by yourself, read the docs and finally express it in your own words.
Changed question, now the random range is larger than the array size.
It's always best to work with IEnumerable<T>, there you get the most powerful tools.
// let's create inifite number of random values:
// note that the Random instance needs to be created only once,
// so it's put into a field.
private Random random = new Random();
public IEnumerable<int> InfiniteRandomValues()
{
while (true)
{
yield return random.Next(1, 100);
}
}
public int[] GetUniqueRandomValues(int numberOfValues)
{
return InfiniteRandomValues()
// only uninque values
.Distinct()
// generate the requested number of distinct values
.Take(numberOfValues)
// put it into an array.
.ToArray();
}
How does it work? When you create random values, you don't know how many it will be, because you cannot know how many duplicates it will create. A generator for an infinite number of values has certainly enough values. Think of it as a factory. Only when the IEnumerable is iterated, the values are created.
This is called "deferred execution". Only when you iterate the IEnumerable, the values are requested by the source.
Distinct works like this. It returns only as many distinct values as are requested by its caller.
Which is Take. This one reduces the number of items that are taken, but still doesn't iterate itselves.
ToArray finally iterates its source and pulls as many values as there are. Read it backwards now: It takes all values from Take, which returns 20. Itselves it takes 20 values from Distinct, which iterates its source until it got 20 distinct values. Distinct takes its values from the InifiteRandomNumbers factory and can take as many as it needs.
When you finally understand how these things work, you can use it quite intuitively.
Another, more classic implemenation
private int[] GetRandomValues()
{
Random random = new Random();
int[] values = new int[20];
for(int i = 0; i < 20; i++)
{
// create random values until you found a distinct oune.
int nextValue;
do
{
nextValue = random.Next(1, 100);
} while (ContainsValue(values, i, nextValue))
values[i] = nextValue;
}
return values;
}
// When adding the values to a List instead of an array, it would be
// much easier, but need copying the vlaues to the array at the end.
// When using the array directly, you have to know which values you
// already generated, because it's initialized with zero.
// This method checks wether the value is in the array within
// the items until endIndex.
private bool ContainsValue(int[] values, int endIndex, int valueToFind)
{
// simple linq way:
// return values.Take(endIndex).Contains(valueToFind);
// classic way:
for(int i = 0; i < endIndex; i++)
{
if (values[i] = valueToFind) return true;
}
return false;
}
