System.Random is a type but is used like a variable

I keep getting this error message with my program and I don't know how to fix it. Basically, I want the program to generate a set of random numbers using the specified ranges. However, I want 23 different numbers and instead of writing 23 lines of code for every individual random method, I want the two random methods I have to generate a different number every time it is called.

The two error messages are "System.Random is a type but is used like a variable".

Code:

---

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading;

namespace RandomWord
{
    class WordProcess
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            /* The program will close if the sequence "f*" is entered at the first 'Console.ReadLine'.
            */
            string x;
            Console.WriteLine("Press any key to start:");
            x = Console.ReadLine();

            do
            {
                Random rng = Random((int)DateTime.Now.Ticks & 0x0000FFFF);
                Thread.Sleep(15);
                Random rng2 = Random((int)DateTime.Now.Ticks & 0x0000FFFF);
                Thread.Sleep(15);

                int con = rng.Next(0, 21);
                int vo = rng2.Next(0, 5);

                string[] conlist = { "b", "c", "d", "f", "g", "h", "j", "k", "l", "m", "n", "p", "q", "r", "s", "t", "v" };
                string[] volist = { "a", "e", "i", "o", "u" };

                Thread.Sleep(10);
                Console.WriteLine(conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo]);
                Console.ReadLine();
            }
            while (x != "f*");
        }
    }
}

---

Code:

---

Random rng = new Random((int)DateTime.Now.Ticks & 0x0000FFFF);

---

Ok, actually the code is a lot more structurally broken than just the syntax error. However! That's fine, you're a student. Below is an example and some tips (offered in the spirit of helping you learn).

First, what's with the two Random number generators? There are essentially no situations where you need two random number generators. Random will continue giving you new random numbers every time you call .Next(...).

If for some reason you HAD to have to RNGs (you don't!), you certainly shouldn't initialize them by waiting with Thread.Sleep(). Those two calls will cause your program to wait 30 msec every time you go through the loop.

Declare a random number generator (and the arrays that never change) ONCE outside the loop:

Code:

---

string x;
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to start:");
x = Console.ReadLine();

//Move these out of the loop
string[] conlist = { "b", "c", "d", "f", "g", "h", "j", "k", "l", "m", "n", "p", "q", "r", "s", "t", "v" };
string[] volist = { "a", "e", "i", "o", "u" };

//Move out of the loop and declare exactly once
Random rng = new Random(); //A parameterless constructor defaults to using DateTime.Now.Ticks;
                          // you do not need to explicitly specify

do
{
    int con = rng.Next(0, 21);
    int vo = rng.Next(0, 5);    //Not rng2, just rng   

    Thread.Sleep(10);    //This line of code serves no functional purpose; delete it!
    Console.WriteLine(conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo]);
    Console.ReadLine();
}
while (x != "f*");

---

int con = rng.Next(0, 21);

The conlist is only 17 elements, but con could be as large as 21, so eventually it may crash by being out of bounds.

Good catch, Jim!

Code review is the best debugging technique!

Thanks, BPE.
x = Console.ReadLine();
This line also needs to be within the do-while loop, otherwise x never gets updated.

I updated the code but the variables are still not uniquely random. For example, the code output is this:

Press any key to start:
kukuku
rarara
vovovo
bibibi

However, I want the letters to be different every time they are printed, for example:

Press any key to start:
kudibu
birupa
voraku
bikuvo

That way, the words will be truly "random", rather than repeating. I could simply add 4 more rng.Next lines of code, but I plan to turn the program into a full sentence generator of 24 random words so creating 24 .Next lines of code for every random letter seems impractical.

The code is doing what you told it to do in this statement:
Console.WriteLine(conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo]);
since you are only using one index variable for constants & one for vowels. If you generated indices for 3 vowels & 3 constants, then executed this statement:
Console.WriteLine(conlist[con1] + volist[vo1] + conlist[con2] + volist[vo2] + conlist[con3] + volist[vo3]);
I believe this is what you are trying to do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jim_Auricman

The code is doing what you told it to do in this statement:
Console.WriteLine(conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo] + conlist[con] + volist[vo]);
since you are only using one index variable for constants & one for vowels. If you generated indices for 3 vowels & 3 constants, then executed this statement:
Console.WriteLine(conlist[con1] + volist[vo1] + conlist[con2] + volist[vo2] + conlist[con3] + volist[vo3]);
I believe this is what you are trying to do.

---

Yes, but I don't want to have to specify integers such as conlist[con1] all the way through conlist[17]. If I did it that way, I'd have to specify each individual integer as well as the rng.Next statements, which would add up to 24 integers I'd have to manually write out. I think it's a bad programming habit.

I'm basically trying to figure out how to simplify the code so I don't have to enter in tons of numbers manually.

You just need 6 variables:
int con1 = rng.Next(0, 17);
int vo1 = rng.Next(0, 5);
int con2 = rng.Next(0, 17);
int vo2 = rng.Next(0, 5);
int con3 = rng.Next(0, 17);
int vo3 = rng.Next(0, 5);
This is put into the loop right before you do the Console.WriteLine statement.
I actually coded it and it looks like it is performing like you intended.

Your problem is one of data representation and you are right to want to avoid writing it out manually. I propose a solution that looks like this:

Code:

---

//Give a pattern of the form "cvvvcv" to mean ("consonant-vowel-vowel-vowel-consonant-vowel)
public static string getRandomString(string pattern, string[] conList, string[] vowelList, Random rng)
{
    System.Text.StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder(pattern.Length);
    for(int i = 0; i < pattern.Length; i++)
    {
        switch(pattern[i])
        {
            case 'c':
                result.Append(conList[rng.Next(0, conList.Length)]);
                break;
            case 'v':
                result.Append(vowelList[rng.Next(0, vowelList.Length)]);
                break;
            default:
                throw new ArgumentException("Invalid pattern");
        }
    }
   
    return result.ToString();
}

---

Then on each loop just call:

Code:

---

getRandomString("cvcvcv", conList, vowelList, rng);

---

Make sense?