Many scripting languages, such as Ruby, PHP, and Python (via the random module), have a built-in for properly shuffling an array. I propose adding Array.prototype.shuffle to the ES spec. I think it should act like Array.prototype.reverse, shuffling the array in place and returning a reference to it. It should use the Fisher-Yates algorithm. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher%E2%80%93Yates_shuffle
Since this functionality is missing, some less-seasoned developers fall into the trap of using the "sort by random" method, which produces bias. See http://sroucheray.org/blog/2009/11/array-sort-should-not-be-used-to-shuffle-an-array/ In a perfect world, this would use a better random number generator than the existing Math.random, but for now an implementation like the one below would still be a vast improvement over having to implement manually and possibly incorrectly. See https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=322529 Example implementation: https://gist.github.com/jterenzio/28bb972f3abb7618b14b I don't think adding this to the spec would cause many compatibility issues and the implementation should be very straightforward. Let me know what you think! Best, John
_______________________________________________ es-discuss mailing list [email protected] https://mail.mozilla.org/listinfo/es-discuss
