Hello fellow developers!
I’m working with some data and have a quick question about handling arrays in JavaScript.
I have an array of numbers like this:
JavaScriptvar items = [523, 3452, 334, 31, ..., 5346];
How can I pick a random item from this JavaScript array?
Would love to see some code examples or explanations of the best way to do this! Thanks for your help!
Hey @prynka.hans
I saw a few questions about how to pick a random item from a JavaScript array, and I thought I’d share a method that worked for me 
var items = [523, 3452, 334, 31, 5346];
var randomIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * items.length);
var randomItem = items[randomIndex];
console.log(randomItem);
Basically, you generate a random index within your array length and grab the item at that spot. It’s clear and easy to understand, especially if you’re new to JS or want straightforward code.
Hey @toby-steed thats the very standard approch and might not work in all cases.
However, here’s another method I’ve tried that’s pretty fun, it shuffles the array randomly and then picks the first item. It’s like mixing a deck of cards before drawing one! 
const items = [523, 3452, 334, 31, 5346];
const [randomItem] = items.sort(() => 0.5 - Math.random());
console.log(randomItem);
This works by sorting the array with a random comparator, so the order gets mixed up every time, and then you just grab the first element. It’s neat for small arrays when you want to add a little randomness flair!
Hey @prynka.hans , I agree with the other two methods shared , they’re solid and straightforward. But here’s my approach, which is a bit quirky and different:
const items = [523, 3452, 334, 31, 5346];
const randomItem = items.reduce((selected, current) => Math.random() < 1 / items.length ? current : selected);
console.log(randomItem);
This one uses reduce to walk through the array and randomly decide whether to keep the current item as the selected one. It’s not as common, but I find it interesting because it gives every item a fair chance as it iterates. Definitely a fun experiment if you want to try something outside the usual!