File::Random - Version 0.10
===========================
NAME
    File::Random - Perl module for random selecting of a file

SYNOPSIS
      use File::Random qw/random_file/;
 
      my $fname  = random_file();

      my $fname2 = random_file(-dir => $dir);
  
      my $random_gif = random_file(-dir       => $dir,
                                   -check     => qr/\.gif$/,
                                                               -recursive => 1);
                                                           
      my $no_exe     = random_file(-dir   => $dir,
                                   -check => sub {! -x});
                                                           
      my @jokes_of_the_day = content_of_random_file(-dir => '/usr/lib/jokes');
      my $joke_of_the_day  = content_of_random_file(-dir => '/usr/lib/jokes');
  
      my $word_of_the_day = random_line('/usr/share/dict/words');

DESCRIPTION
    This module simplifies the routine job of selecting a random file. (As
    you can find at CGI scripts).

    It's done, because it's boring (and errorprone), always to write
    something like

      my @files = (<*.*>);
      my $randf = $files[rand @files];
  
    or

      opendir DIR, " ... " or die " ... ";
      my @files = grep {-f ...} (readdir DIR);
      closedir DIR;
      my $randf = $files[rand @files];
 
    It also becomes very boring and very dangerous to write randomly
    selection for subdirectory searching with special check-routines.
    
    The simple standard job of selecting a random line from a file
    is implemented, too.

  FUNCTION random_file
    Returns a randomly selected file(name) from the specified directory If
    the directory is empty, undef will be returned. There 3 options:

      my $file = random_file(
         -dir         => $dir, 
             -check       => qr/.../, # or sub { .... }
             -recursive   => 1        # or 0
      );

    -dir
        Specifies the directory where file has to come from.

        Is the -dir option missing, a random file from the current directory
        will be used. That means '.' is the default for the -dir option.

    -check
        With the -check option you can either define a regex every filename
        has to follow, or a sub routine which gets the filename as argument.
        The filename includes the relative path (from the -dir directory or
        the current directory).

        Note, that -check doesn't accept anything else than a regexp or a
        subroutine. A string like '/.../' won't work. I still work on that.

        The default is no checking (undef).

    -recursive
        Enables, that subdirectories are scanned for files, too. Every file,
        independent from its position in the file tree, has the same chance
        to be choosen. Now the relative path from the given subdirectory or
        the current directory of the randomly choosen file is included to
        the file name.

        Every true value sets recursive behaviour on, every false value
        switches off. The default if false (undef).

        Note, that I programmed the recursive routine very defendly (using
        File::Find). So switching -recursive on, slowers the program a bit
        :-)

  FUNCTION content_of_random_file
        Returns the content of a randomly selected random file. In list
        context it returns an array of the lines of the selected file, in
        scalar context it returns a multiline string with whole the file.
        The lines aren't chomped.

        This function has the same parameter and a similar behaviour to the
        random_file method. Note, that -check still gets the filename and
        not the filecontent.

  FUNCTION random_line($filename)
        Returns a random_line from a (existing) file.

        If the file is empty, undef is returned.

  EXPORT
    None by default.

    You can export the function random_file with "use File::Random
    qw/random_file/;", "use File::Random qw/content_of_random_file/" or with
    the more simple "use File::Random qw/:all/;".

    I didn't want to pollute namespaces as I could imagine, users write
    methods random_file to create a file with random content. If you think
    I'm paranoid, please tell me, then I'll take it into the export.

DEPENDENCIES
    This module requires these other modules and libraries:

      Test::More
      Test::Exception
      Test::Class
      Set::Scalar
      File::Temp
  
    Test::Class itselfs needs the following additional modules:
    Attribute::Handlers Class::ISA IO::File Storable Test::Builder
    Test::Builder::Tester Test::Differences

    All these modules are needed only for the tests. You can work with the
    module even without them. These modules are only needed for my test
    routines, not by the File::Random itself. (However, it's a good idea
    most to install most of the modules anyway).

COPYRIGHT
    This Program is free software. You can change or redistribute it under
    the same condition as Perl itself.

    Copyright (c) 2002, Janek Schleicher, <bigj@kamelfreund.de>

AUTHOR
    Janek Schleicher, <bigj@kamelfreund.de>

SEE ALSO
    Tie::Pick Data::Random
