Display Random Image Using PHP
The code on this page displays an image selected at random using PHP. The list of images for this example comes from a directory listing. You could also select an image from an array of images from other sources, such as a database query, or a static list of images you provide.
The code for this example:
<?php
function getRandomFromArray($ar) {
mt_srand( (double)microtime() * 1000000 );
$num = array_rand($ar);
return $ar[$num];
}
function getImagesFromDir($path) {
$images = array();
if ( $img_dir = @opendir($path) ) {
while ( false !== ($img_file = readdir($img_dir)) ) {
// checks for gif, jpg, png
if ( preg_match("/(\.gif|\.jpg|\.png)$/", $img_file) ) {
$images[] = $img_file;
}
}
closedir($img_dir);
}
return $images;
}
$root = '';
// If images not in sub directory of current directory specify root
//$root = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'];
$path = 'images/';
// Obtain list of images from directory
$imgList = getImagesFromDir($root . $path);
$img = getRandomFromArray($imgList);
?>
Place the following where you wish the random image to appear:
<img src="<?php echo $path . $img ?>" alt="" />
JavaScript Version
See the version that just uses JavaScript to display an image selected at random from the list you provide.