SDL_randf(3)

💖 SDL_randf(3) — SDL3 FUNCTIONS 💖

okay bestie, gather round, we're doing the SDL3 randf page and it's literally so cute. it's a manual page for SDL_randf, and no cap it's the easiest function you'll meet today. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

SDL_randf — generate a uniform pseudo-random floating point number that's less than 1.0 🦋

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <SDL3/SDL_stdinc.h>

float SDL_randf(void);

that's it. no args. no drama. she takes nothing and gives you a float. main character energy fr. 💅

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so here's the vibe: if you want reproducible output, you gotta initialize with SDL_srand() first. like, before you call this. order matters bestie, don't skip that step and then act shocked when your numbers are different every run. 🙈

and now the part where I hold your hand and look you dead in the eyes: there are no guarantees about the quality of the random sequence produced. none. zero. it's giving "good enough for vibes, not for anything real." so do NOT use this for security stuff — cryptography, passwords — and do NOT use it where money is on the line, like loot-boxes or casinos. 💀

genuinely, if there's actual money or actual secrets involved, this is not the girl for the job. periodt.

there are, like, so many random number libraries out there with different characteristics, and you should go pick one of those to meet any serious needs. this one is for funsies. ✨

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✨ RETURN VALUE ✨

returns a random value in the range of [0.0, 1.0). note the bracket on the left and the parenthesis on the right — 0.0 is included, 1.0 is NOT. she will never hand you a 1.0. iconic behavior honestly. 🌈

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✨ THREAD SAFETY ✨

all calls should be made from a single thread. one thread, one bestie, no group project. 🫶

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✨ AVAILABILITY ✨

this function has been available since SDL 3.2.0. so if you're on anything older, sorry babe, she's not there yet. 😭

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✨ SEE ALSO ✨

• SDL_srand(3) — go seed her first, remember?
• SDL_rand(3) — the sibling who deals in ints 👑

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and that's the whole page, we ate and left no crumbs. 💖

Simple Directmedia Layer wrote this, it's from SDL 3.4.18, and the page itself is dated all the way back to SDL_randf(3) — mwah, bye bestie! 💅✨🎀