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From: Joe Fineman <jcf@TheWorld.com>
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Subject: Re: Reading from fortune style file
Date: 13 Mar 2003 17:48:08 -0500
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Chris L <chrisl_ak@hotmail.com> writes:

> Does anyone have a bit of lisp that will read from a fortune style
> file and return a random result? I would like something to hook into
> posting styles to create a custom signature by reading a random
> entry...

This isn't quite what you've asked for -- it takes the entries in the
file in order rather than randomly.  However, FWIW, mutatis mutandis,

(defun psig ()
  "Insert the signature for a personal posting, including a saying."
  (interactive)
  (goto-char (point-max))
  (or (= (char-after (- (point) 1)) ?\n)
      (newline 1))
  (insert "-- \n---  Joe Fineman    jcf@TheWorld.com\n")
  (let ((saying ""))
    (save-window-excursion
      (find-file "~/p/networks/world/gnus/Sayings")
      (goto-char (point-min))
      (search-forward "#")
      (delete-char -1)
      (setq fill-prefix nil)
      (mark-paragraph)
      (setq saying (buffer-substring (region-beginning) (region-end)))
      (exchange-point-and-mark)
      (if (eobp) (goto-char (1+ (point-min))))
      (insert "#")
      (save-buffer))
    (insert saying)
    ))

The Sayings file should have one saying per paragraph, and its first
line should be blank (except, at first, for a "#").
-- 
---  Joe Fineman    jcf@TheWorld.com

||:  Quantity for the young, quality for the middle-aged,  :||
||:  reliability for the old.                              :||