Generate a random word from an array and then print it to the console log in a function in javascript

Question

I am creating hangman in javascript and I have (I think) successfully generated a random word from an array in a function, to check if it works I am trying to print the generated word in to the console but it doesn't seem to be working here's my code for the function

    var word = function() //Random word is genereated from an array for the user to guess
{
  GameWordArray = new Array(7);
  GameWordArray[0] = "monitor";
  GameWordArray[1] = "program";
  GameWordArray[2] = "application";
  GameWordArray[3] = "keyboard";
  GameWordArray[4] = "javascript";
  GameWordArray[5] = "gaming";
  GameWordArray[6] = "network";
  randno = Math.floor(Math.random() * GameWordArray.length);
  document.write(GameWordArray[randno]);
  console.log(word);
}

Thanks in advance :)

Solution 1

Here is an example on jsfiddle

var words = ["monitor", "program", "application", "keyboard", "javascript", "gaming", "network"];

var word = words[Math.floor(Math.random() * words.length)];

console.log(word);

document.getElementById("word").textContent = word;

And to have it fit in directly with you present code:

var getRandomWord = function () {
    return words[Math.floor(Math.random() * words.length)];
};

Solution 2

Try using it this way:

var getRandomWord = (function () {
  var gameWordArray = [];
  gameWordArray.push("monitor");
  gameWordArray.push("program");
  gameWordArray.push("application");
  gameWordArray.push("keyboard");
  gameWordArray.push("javascript");
  gameWordArray.push("gaming");
  gameWordArray.push("network");
  return function () {
    var randNum, finalWord;
    randNum = Math.floor(Math.random() * gameWordArray.length);
    finalWord = gameWordArray[randNum];
    return finalWord;
  };
})();

DEMO: http://jsfiddle.net/bCEFA/1/

Instead of declaring an array with a predefined length, you might as well declare an empty one and add values to the end of it (with .push()). You could've also declared the array like:

var gameWordArray = ["monitor", "program", ...];

You were trying to print word (which I renamed to getRandomWord), which was/is a function. You probably meant to use console.log(gameWordArray[randno]), which should work.

Comments

[Xotic750]

Creating your random word in that manner is kind of painful as you create a new array of the words each time you call the function.

[Owen Brain]

Thanks but when I put this in place of my original code and try and run it, it gives me a syntax error elsewhere in the code It gives me this error on this line of code; Error detected: syntax error (#86) Error at or around line number 86 document.getElementById("button").onclick = guessButtonClicked;

[Ian]

@OwenBrain Don't you think it would be helpful to provide the actual error or where the syntax error is referring to?

[Owen Brain]

Yeah I tried, sorry if it didn't come through properly I am new to this site, thanks