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draw / drawMany ​

Problem ​

You need to pick one or several random items from an array without replacement — for example selecting a survey respondent or generating test fixtures.

Solution ​

Use draw(array) for a single random pick or drawMany(array, n) for multiple picks without replacement.

ts
import { draw, drawMany } from '@vielzeug/arsenal';

const items = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10];

draw(items); // e.g. 7 — one random element; undefined for empty array
drawMany(items, 3); // e.g. [7, 2, 9] — 3 unique picks
drawMany(items, 1); // e.g. [4]

Pitfalls ​

  • draw returns undefined for an empty array; guard if the input may be empty.
  • When n exceeds the array length, drawMany returns a shuffled copy of the full array.
  • Uses Math.random() — not cryptographically secure.