A command-line script for generating random number sequences from an external reference table.
Python script that generates a random sequence of integers. The script infers its sequence values from an external reference file stored in rns_generator\tables\. All other input parameters should be provided by the user during runtime. This script can be used for probability sampling and can generate sequences for random, systematic and monetary sampling routines. An external reference table is required when running this script and should be provided by the user.
The latest version of Python must be installed and configured in your operating system in order to run this script. Next, you will need to install the latest version of pip (Python's package installer). To install pip, please refer to the manual here. If you already have pip, skip this step.
Lastly are the script's package dependencies, which are as follows:
Note that et-xmlfile ships with openpyxl when installing the latter as a package dependency. That means you will only ever need to openpyxl to complete this list. Run the command shown below to your terminal of choince to install the package dependencies.
pip install openpyxlThe best way to read and/or debug this program is through Python's virtual environment. The name of the virtual environment is irrelevant (Set it to any name you want. Personally, I use env).
Windows 10 and above restricts running custom scripts by default. This is an added safety feature that prevents unauthorized users from executing malicious code into your system. In order to run this program, we can either do one of two things. One, set Window's execution policy to Bypass on Process scope. Or two, set the execution policy to RemoteSigned on CurrentUser scope. The first option allows all scripts to run on only the current terminal session, and will return to its default state (restricted) after the terminal is closed. The second option ensures you can run the script even after ending your terminal session, since the execution policy is saved in your registry subkey.
Basically, choose option one when you read/debug this code infrequently or if you do not own the computer you're using to run this script. Otherwise, choose option two. Note that for option one, you'll have to re-enable the execution policy if you plan to run the script again after you've closed a terminal.
The command below sets the execution policy to Bypass on Process scope (option one).
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope ProcessThis other command sets the execution policy to RemoteSigned on CurrentUser scope (option two).
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUserYou can read more of Window's execution policy here.
As mentioned, external reference files, called tables, should be stored in the rns_generator\tables\ directory. Tables should be in standard Excel format. Allowable file extensions for the reference file should be in .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx or .xltm only. The script will not read any other file types not included in this list.
Likewise, all cells in the reference file comprising the table should contain integers only. Do not include row nor column headers in the reference file. Do not include letters, symbols and/or special characters in the table. Doing so will prevent the code from parsing the table and will undoubtedly crash the program. Do not use special formatting on the table as well; just enter the data in each cell until you complete the table. You can opt to format the spacing in each cell of the reference table for better readability; doing so has no effect on the program.
Lastly, while not explicitly required, is highly recommended to name all the available worksheets in your reference file. The script will parse worksheet names and help the user disambiguate from each table.
Clone this repo and save it to any directory in your system. From the terminal, run a cd command to the repo. Make sure you are in rns_generator\. You can check your current directory by running a dir command on Windows or an ls command on Mac or Linux.
Once you're in rns_generator, enter the code below. Change reference.xlsx to your table's file name and provide the proper file extension.
python source.py reference.xlsxOutput files are named automatically as output.txt. They are stored in the rns_generator\output directory. Note that new output files will replace old ones in the directory every time the script is executed to completion (when the final prompt says "exit with success"). If you want to retain these files, you'll have to manually recover them from the directory before running a new instance of the script.
Copyright (C) 2021 Carmelo Julius Paz This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions.
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.