What is PHP str_shuffle() Function?
If you want to randomly shuffle all the characters of string, use str_shuffle() function.
Syntax:
str_shuffle(string)
Parameters:
The Function has 1 parameter which is required-
string (Required): The string that the function shuffles.
Return Values:
The function returns a shuffled string.
Examples:
Example:
<?php
$string="password";
echo"Before shuffling, the string is: ".$string;
echo"<br />";
echo"After shuffling, the new shuffled string is: ".str_shuffle($string);
?>
Output:
Before shuffling, the string is: password
After shuffling, the new shuffled string is: ssodwpra
Explanation:
The function randomizes the characters and returns the output. Note, every time, you run this code, you’ll get a different output.
Practical Usages of str_shuffle() Function:
We can generate a random password from a set of rules with this function. Check the example below-
<?php
$string="aeiou0123$%&";
echo"Before shuffling, the string is: ".$string;
echo"<br />";
echo"After shuffling, the password is: ".str_shuffle($string);
?>
Output:
Before shuffling, the string is: aeiou0123$%&
After shuffling, the password is: 1uoia23%e0&$
Notes on str_shuffle() Function:
The function doesn’t modify the original string.
<?php
$string="password";
echo"Before shuffling, the string is: ".$string;
echo"<br />";
echo"After shuffling, the new shuffled string is: ".str_shuffle($string);
echo"<br />";
echo"After shuffling, the oruiginal string is: ".$string;
?>
Output:
Before shuffling, the string is: password
After shuffling, the new shuffled string is: rssawopd
After shuffling, the oruiginal string is: password
Caution:
The function can’t generate cryptographically secure values. If you want to create a cryptographically secure value, use random_int(), random_bytes()function rather than str_shuffle() function.
PHP Version Support:
PHP 4>= 4.3.0, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8
Summary: PHP str_shuffle() Function
When it comes to shuffling characters, you can consider of the str_shuffle() function. It is one of the built-in PHP array function.