JDCN_AnyFileListRandom

JDCN_AnyFileListRandom is JDCN_AnyFileList with a dice roll: same folder scanning and filtering, but instead of returning every match, it returns a random batch of paths, controlled by a seed. If you've ever wanted to sample a handful of random images from a reference folder, or randomize which training/reference files a run picks, this is the node.

How it works

It shares AnyFileList's inputs - folder_path, filter_by, extension, deep_search - then adds the selection controls:

• random_seed - the seed for the random pick. Same seed, same selection. Change it, get a different batch.
• seed_change - fixed, increment, decrement, or random. This tells you how the seed should behave across queue runs. One honest caveat: like the Change dropdown on JDCN_AnyFileSelector, this is largely a label - the node computes the selection from the current seed value, so the automatic incrementing depends on you driving the seed (via a counter or the random option upstream). Treat it as "how I intend to move the seed," not "the node will do it for me."
• batch_size - how many files to select per run.

Outputs: PathList (the random subset), PathNames, and Total. One quirk straight from the source: only PathList is actually the randomized subset - PathNames and Total reflect the full matched folder, not your random pick. So if you wire Total into a loop expecting the batch size, you'll get the whole count instead. Keep that in mind and grab the count from PathList's length instead.

When you'd reach for it

• Random reference images for img2img or IP-Adapter runs - a different mood every queue.
• Randomly sampling a subset of a large training/reference set without writing a script.
• Batch variation: set batch_size to 3, run, and feed the selected paths into JDCN_BatchImageLoadFromList for a random trio.

Installing it

Part of ComfyUI-JDCN:

• ComfyUI Manager → Install Custom Node → search JDCN → install ComfyUI-JDCN → restart.
• Or:

cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes
git clone https://github.com/daxcay/ComfyUI-JDCN.git
cd ComfyUI-JDCN
pip install -r requirements.txt

Restart; it's under 🔵 JDCN 🔵. Only dependency is piexif, no models.

Common issues

Same path typos and folder-not-found behavior as AnyFileList (empty lists + a console message). The subtle one is the Total/PathNames mismatch above - if your workflow counts on those matching the random batch, verify against the actual PathList. And for reproducibility, commit to a seed; random in seed_change is fun for exploration and a nightmare for "but it worked yesterday."