File/Random version 0.03 ======================== 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 => $dir, -check => qr/\.gif$/); my $no_exe = random_file(-dir => $dir, -check => sub {! -x}); 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]; FUNCTIONS random_file(-dir => $dir, -check => $sub_or_re) Returns a randomly selected file(name) from the specified directory If the directory is empty, undef will be returned. Is the -dir option missing, a random file from the current directory will be used. That means '.' is the default for the -dir option. 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. 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. INSTALLATION To install this module type the following: perl Makefile.PL make make test make install If you don't have Test::More, Test::Exception or Set::Scalar installed, make test will produce errors. You can work with the module even without them. DEPENDENCIES This module requires these other modules and libraries: Test::More Test::Exception Set::Scalar 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 to install the modules anyway). COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE This module is free software. You can change and redistribute it under the same condition as Perl self. Copyright (C) 2002 Janek Schleicher,