Re: Octave's rand function -- discrepancy between online documentation and function

[Henry F. Mollet]

When I used "help rand" I got the following and I do not understand where
your "state" is coming from.
Henry

octave:43> help rand
rand is a built-in function
 - Loadable Function:  rand (X)
 - Loadable Function:  rand (N, M)
 - Loadable Function:  rand (`"seed"', X)
     Return a matrix with random elements uniformly distributed on the
     interval (0, 1).  The arguments are handled the same as the
     arguments for `eye'.  In addition, you can set the seed for the
     random number generator using the form
          rand ("seed", X)
     where X is a scalar value.  If called as
          rand ("seed")
     `rand' returns the current value of the seed.
Additional help for built-in functions, operators, and variables
is available in the on-line version of the manual.  Use the command
`help -i <topic>' to search the manual index.
octave:44> rand ("seed")
ans =  5.4900e-309






on 9/28/04 12:04 PM, Paul Laub at address@hidden wrote:

> Dear all, 
> 
> At the Octave command line when I invoke the rand function with
> "state" as the first argument, I get an "unrecognized string argument"
> error message. Yet, when I type "help rand", the documentation
> displayed states that "state" is a valid first argument. The same
> applies to the randn function as well. What is going on?
> 
> I am using Octave 2.1.42 on Windows 2000 Pentium machine. Recently, I
> downloaded the precompiled, no-atlas installation package from
> sourceforge.net. That file is octave-2.1.42-p6.exe.
> 
> A web search on this matter turned up this a similar question --
> 
> http://www.octave.org/octave-lists/archive/help-octave.2003/msg01336.html
> 
> As you can read, the answer offered to that question was "get
> Octave-Forge". Well, didn't I do  that? I must admit being confused
> about the differences, if any, among Octave, Octave-Forge, Atlas, etc.
> The FAQs I have found and read have not been much help in this matter.
> I'd like to be sure I have the best program version installed for my
> purposes and my hardware.
> 
> Can any one clear up these questions?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Paul Laub
> 
> 
> 
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Octave is freely available under the terms of the GNU GPL.

Octave's home on the web:  http://www.octave.org
How to fund new projects:  http://www.octave.org/funding.html
Subscription information:  http://www.octave.org/archive.html
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