Ah, you've run into the classic problem of "How do I create an array that has the numbers 1 through N in it, in a random order?"

1. int indexes = new int[sentences.length];
2. for( int t=0; t<indexes.length; t++ ){
3.   int r = int(random(indexes.length));
4.   int temp = indexes[r];
5.   indexes[r] = indexes[t];
6.   indexes[t] = temp;
7. }

Now the string you want is:

1. String result = sentences[indexes[0]];
2. for( int i=1; i<sentences.length; i++ ){
3.  result = result + " " + sentences[indexes[i]]
4. }

Hi Thanks for your help, Ive tried using your code, but im afraid i dont really understand what its doing or where it should go in my code.

when i try the code with your additions i get an error that says cannot convert from int[] to int

could you break the code down to explain what each part is doing?

 i think i understand that the second part is calling a sentence from the array and repeating this action adding another sentence with a space until all the sentences have been called.

here is how i have used your code

1. void setup() { 
     size(600, 400);
     background(0);
     fill(255);
   
   //Array
   
   String[] sentences = {"sentence 1", "sentence2", "sentence3", "sentence 4", "sentence 5"};
   
   int indexes = new int[sentences.length];
   for( int t=0; t<indexes.length; t++ ){
     int r = int(random(indexes.length));
     int temp = indexes[r];
     indexes[r] = indexes[t];
     indexes[t] = temp;
   }
   
   String result = sentences[indexes[0]];
   for( int i=1; i<sentences.length; i++ ){
    result = result + " " + sentences[indexes[i]];
   }
   
   
   
   //text(sentence[n], 30, 30);
   }
       
   

I suggest you take a look at this by Adam Parrish, it will get you going on  a higher plane.

Hello!

monkstone, thanks but this is not what i am trying to achieve, the setences are not randomly generated they have been written, i just want to place them randomly one after the other to form a text block.

chris thanks for your reply. i have tried what you said and it has worked

I have now got the program to draw the text onto the canvas (for now i just have 45 numbers but these will be sentences eventually.

Do you know how i could get the text to wrap to the canvas so that it forms a text block rather than one continuos line?

when it is sentences i would want it to break at the end of a words rather than in the middle of one.

thanks again for your help

Hello!

Also Look at text with 4 parameters - it can maybe wrap

Chrisir thankyou again

with regards to putting text(result... in void draw

This i understand how ever i couldn't understand how to make result a global variable.

i tied putting the line

String result = sentences[indexes[0]];

above void setup but this gives me a cannot indexes error, so i tried placing the line

  int[] indexes = new int[sentences.length];

above String result = ...

this works when the program runs but the text appears as if it is overlaying itself. I presume this is because text(result... is now in a void draw and so is continuosly running,

 i tried placing exit(); after text(result... but this just stopped the prgram running and makes the canvas disappear. so have used the noLoop function.

I actually feel like i have learned something now, thanks

with regards to the text wrapping it does sound confusing. here is where i am with it, but should the next for loop be in the previous for loop or after?

if you could let me know if ive coded it write so far then i will look at the next step of using a counter. here is my code as i stand, when i run it i get an unexpected token: result

1. //Array
   
   String[] sentences = {
     "This is sentence one that appears", "This is sentence two that appears", "This is sentence three that appears",
     "This is sentence four that appears", "This is sentence five that appears"
    
   };
   
   //declare indexes and result as global variable
   
   int[] indexes = new int[sentences.length];
   String result = sentences[indexes[0]];
   
   void setup() { 
     size(600, 400);
     background(0);
     fill(255);
   
     for( int t=0; t<indexes.length; t++ ) {
       indexes[t]=t;
     }
    
     for( int t=0; t<indexes.length; t++ ) {
       int r = int(random(indexes.length));
       int temp = indexes[r];
       indexes[r] = indexes[t];
       indexes[t] = temp;
     }
    
   
     for( int i=1; i<sentences.length; i++ ) {
       result = result + " " + sentences[indexes[i]];
       int[] myWords = int (split(result, " "));
     }
     for( result=result + myWords[i]) {
   }
   }
   
   void draw() {
     text(result, 5, 20);
     noLoop();
   }
   

thanks chris

ive been playing around and am getting it close to what i need now, this wouldn't of been possible without your help.

I have one last problem i am struggling with..

I now hav it so that once the program is run on a key press the canvas is saved as a tif file. what i would like to happen is that as well as saving the file it the reloads producing another random essay from the sentences.

I tried creating a new void which contained the stateents for choosing the rnadom sentences and then tried to call that again in the keyPressed but just recieved an un expected token error so i am lost to how to get it to call again.

any help appreciated