[ic] random_string() persistant?

[interchange-users@icdevgroup.org (Russell Mann)]

> >I'm using the random_string() function in a usertag called
> >random_string_value.
> >
> >Looks like this:
> >
> >UserTag random_string_value Order tag
> >UserTag random_string_value Routine <<EOR
> >sub  {
> >return random_string();
> >}
> >EOR
> >
> >Accessed like this:
> >
> >[random_string_value]
> >
> >The problem is that if I access a page with this on it, it is random the
> >first time, but subsequent accesses render a non-unique string
> that is the
> >same as the one before it.
> >
> >Any ideas?
>
> Does WFM count?  :-)  You can look through the code underneath it to find
> out what is causing the problem, but I think you will find that
> it is only
> random for every second that passes (i.e. you have to wait one second to
> get another random value). HTH,
>
> --
> /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
> | Dan Browning, Kavod Technologies      <dan.browning@kavod.com> |
> | (360) 882-7872 x7, 6700 NE 162nd Ave, Suite 210, Vancouver, WA |
> \~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

Dan,

What's WFM? Thank you, but I don't think that's it.  Here's the sub in
Util.pm

## random_string

# leaving out 0, O and 1, l
my $random_chars =
"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijkmnopqrstuvwxyz23456789";

# Return a string of random characters.

sub random_string {
    my ($len) = @_;
    $len = 8 unless $len;
    my ($r, $i);

    $r = '';
    for ($i = 0;  $i < $len;  ++$i) {
        $r .= substr($random_chars, int(rand(length($random_chars))), 1);
    }
    $r;
}

I can access this several minutes apart and still have the same problem.

-RM