EzRand Control

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The EzRand control can be used to generate random numbers or bytes using a variety of algorithms.

Syntax

EzRand

Remarks

The EzRand control can be used to generate random numbers or bytes using a variety of algorithms and implementations.

To begin first set the Algorithm property to the desired value. This property specifies the algorithm and implementation that will be used to generate the number or bytes. Possible choices include ISAAC, the Microsoft Crypto API, and platform specific random and secure random implementations.

Next set Min and Max to define the acceptable range of values when generating an integer. The Seed property may optionally be set. Then simply call GetNextInt to generate a random number. the RandInt property will be populated with the generated value.

To generate a random set of bytes set RandBytesLength to the desired number of bytes and call GetNextBytes.

Property List

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The following is the full list of the properties of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Method List

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The following is the full list of the methods of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Event List

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The following is the full list of the events fired by the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Config Settings

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The following is a list of config settings for the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Algorithm Property (EzRand Control)

The random number algorithm.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.Algorithm[=integer]

Possible Values

raISAAC(0), 
raMSCryptoAPI(1), 
raPlatform(2), 
raSecurePlatform(3), 
raRC4Random(4)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property specifies the algorithm used to generate the random number or bytes. Possible values are:

Data Type

Integer

Max Property (EzRand Control)

The exclusive upper bound.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.Max[=integer]

Default Value

100

Remarks

This property specifies the exclusive upper bound of the random integer to be generated. The value must be greater than Min. The default value is 100.

Data Type

Integer

Min Property (EzRand Control)

The inclusive lower bound.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.Min[=integer]

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property specifies the inclusive lower bound of the random integer to be generated. The value must be less than Max, and must not be negative. The default value is 0.

Data Type

Integer

RandBytes Property (EzRand Control)

The random byte array.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.RandBytes

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property holds the random byte array generated by calling GetNextBytes.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .RandBytesB.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Binary String

RandBytesLength Property (EzRand Control)

The length of the byte array to be generated.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.RandBytesLength[=integer]

Default Value

16

Remarks

This property specifies the length of the random byte array to be generated. The RandBytes property will hold the byte array after GetNextBytes is called. The default value is 16.

Data Type

Integer

RandInt Property (EzRand Control)

The random integer.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.RandInt

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property holds the random integer generated by calling GetNextInt.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Integer

Seed Property (EzRand Control)

The seed.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.Seed[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the seed. This value is optional. If not specified and a seed is required the control will use the current time.

Seed Notes

• When Algorithm is set to 0 (raISAAC) the control uses the leftmost 256 bytes.
• When Algorithm is set to 1 (raMSCryptoAPI) the seed is ignored.
• When Algorithm is set to 2 (raPlatform) the control uses the leftmost 4 bytes.
• When Algorithm is set to 3 (raSecurePlatform) in .NET the seed is ignored. The seed is applicable in Java.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .SeedB.

Data Type

Binary String

Config Method (EzRand Control)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.Config ConfigurationString

Remarks

Config is a generic method available in every control. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the control.

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).

To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.

GetNextBytes Method (EzRand Control)

Generates a sequence of random bytes.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.GetNextBytes 

Remarks

This method generates a new sequence of random bytes. The RandBytesLength property specifies the length of the byte array. After calling this method the RandBytes will hold the random bytes. The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

• Algorithm
• RandBytesLength
• Seed

GetNextInt Method (EzRand Control)

Generates a random integer.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.GetNextInt 

Remarks

This method generates a random integer. The Min and Max properties define the minimum and maximum values. After calling this method the RandInt property will hold the integer. The following properties are applicable when calling this method:

• Algorithm
• Min
• Max
• Seed

Reset Method (EzRand Control)

Resets the control.

Syntax

ezrandcontrol.Reset 

Remarks

When called, the control will reset all of its properties to their default values.

Error Event (EzRand Control)

Fired when information is available about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

Sub ezrandcontrol_Error(ErrorCode As Integer, Description As String)

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the control fails with an error.

The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.

Config Settings (EzRand Control)

The control accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

EzRand Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (EzRand Control)

EzRand Errors