CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javafile
perspicuousreading
perspicuousreading

Reputation: 153

How to select a random word from a txt file?

I have a method that needs to select a random word from a txt file, but it only works some of the time.

The content of the file is as follows: 

Broccoli
Tomato
Kiwi
Kale
Tomatillo

My code: 

import java.util.Random; 
import java.util.Scanner; 
import java.io.FileInputStream; 
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;

public String getRandomItem(){
    Scanner fileIn = null;

    String temp = ""; 
    int r = randomGenerator.nextInt(5) + 1; 
    byte i = 0;

    try {
        fileIn = new Scanner(new FileInputStream("bundles.txt"));
    } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
        System.out.println("File not found.");
        System.exit(0);
    } 

    while(i <= 5){
        temp = fileIn.nextLine();

        if(i == r){ 
            break;  
        }

        i++;
    }

    fileIn.close();

    return temp; 
}

Could someone please tell me where I am going wrong?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 2827

Answers (1)

Elliott Frisch
Elliott Frisch

Reputation: 201447

I would use Files.readAllLines(Path) to read all the lines once, and then get a single random word from that. Something like,

private static List<String> lines = null;
static {
    try {
        lines = Files.readAllLines(new File("bundles.txt").toPath());
    } catch (IOException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}
private Random rand = new Random();

public String getRandomItem() {
    return lines.get(rand.nextInt(lines.size()));
}

Upvotes: 2

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