[ python-Bugs-901285 ] random.randint fails for some ranges

[SourceForge.net]

Bugs item #901285, was opened at 2004-02-20 19:27
Message generated for change (Comment added) made by phr
You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=105470&aid=901285&group_id=5470

Category: Python Library
Group: Python 2.2.2
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Submitted By: paul rubin (phr)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: random.randint fails for some ranges

Initial Comment:
I want a random 32-bit int and do it the obvious way:

lowest, highest = int(-2**31), int(2**31-1)
r = random.randint(lowest, highest)

random.randint throws an exception:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
  File "/usr/lib/python2.2/random.py", line 349, in randint
    return self.randrange(a, b+1)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.2/random.py", line 328, in
randrange
    raise ValueError, "empty range for randrange()"
ValueError: empty range for randrange()


----------------------------------------------------------------------

>Comment By: paul rubin (phr)
Date: 2004-02-21 08:16

Message:
Logged In: YES 
user_id=72053

It says "; current system time is also used to initialize
the generator when the module is first imported. "  That
sugests that the module is passing the current time to the
generator, rather than that the generator is initializing
itself with the current time.

Proposed new wording: ".  When a new generator is
instantiated, its inititialization method calls the seed
operation with a parameter of None.  The seed method then
uses the current time to initialize the generator as
described above.  If you subclass Random, your seed
operation can use some different method to create a default
seed on being initialized with None."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

You can respond by visiting: 
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=105470&aid=901285&group_id=5470