Generate Random

Create random values on the fly in your HubSpot workflows. Generate unique identifiers, create test data, assign random numbers for A/B testing, or produce secure tokens—all without leaving the workflow editor.

Overview

Use Generate Random when you need unpredictable values in your automation workflows. Perfect for creating unique reference numbers, generating temporary passwords, assigning contacts to random test groups, or producing unique identifiers for tracking.

Configuration

Input Fields

Random Type (Required)

Choose the type of random value to generate. The UI automatically reveals additional inputs based on your selection.

Available Types:

• Random Number - Generate random integers within a specified range
• UUID v4 - Generate universally unique identifiers (version 4)
• Random String - Generate random strings with configurable length and character sets

Conditional Inputs (automatic)

Depending on the random type you select, you may see additional fields:

Random Type	Extra fields
number	minValue, maxValue (both optional, defaults: 0-100)
uuid	No additional fields
string	length (required), characterSet (optional, defaults to alphanumeric)

Output Fields

randomValue (String)

The generated random value. All values are returned as strings for consistency, even random numbers.

Type: Random Number (min=1, max=1000)
Output (randomValue): 427

Type: UUID v4
Output (randomValue): 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000

Type: Random String (length=8, characterSet=alphanumeric)
Output (randomValue): aB3xK9mP

Random Types

Random Number

Generates a random integer within a specified range (inclusive).

Fields:

• Minimum Value (optional): The smallest number that can be generated. Defaults to 0 if left empty.
• Maximum Value (optional): The largest number that can be generated. Defaults to 100 if left empty.

Example:

Min: 1
Max: 100
Possible outputs: 1, 42, 73, 100, etc.

Use Cases:

• A/B test group assignment (1-10)
• Random order processing priority
• Lottery or contest selection
• Random delay intervals

UUID v4

Generates a universally unique identifier using version 4 (random) specification. UUIDs are 36-character strings in the format xxxxxxxx-xxxx-4xxx-yxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.

No additional configuration required.

Example Output:

550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000
7c9e6679-7425-40de-944b-e07fc1f90ae7
a3bb189e-8bf9-3888-9912-ace4e6543002

Use Cases:

• Unique order or ticket reference numbers
• External system correlation IDs
• Unique tracking codes
• Database foreign keys

Random String

Generates a random string with configurable length and character set. Perfect for creating temporary passwords, unique codes, or test data.

Fields:

• String Length (required): How many characters to generate. Must be greater than zero.
• Character Set (optional): The types of characters to include. Defaults to alphanumeric.

Character Set Options:

• Alphanumeric (default): A-Z, a-z, 0-9 (62 possible characters)
• Alphabetic: A-Z, a-z (52 possible characters)
• Numeric: 0-9 (10 possible characters)
• Alphanumeric + Symbols: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, !@#$%^&*() (72 possible characters)

Example:

Length: 12
Character Set: Alphanumeric
Possible outputs: aB3xK9mPqR2n, Zx4Yt9Km3Pq1, etc.

Use Cases:

• Temporary password generation
• Promo code creation
• Unique coupon codes
• Verification tokens

Examples

1. Assign contacts to test groups (1-5)

• Random Type: Random Number
• Minimum Value: 1
• Maximum Value: 5
• Output: 3

Save the output to a custom property like test_group_number and use it in workflow branches.

2. Generate unique order reference

• Random Type: UUID v4
• Output: a3bb189e-8bf9-3888-9912-ace4e6543002

Use this as a unique reference number for orders, tickets, or any record that needs a guaranteed unique identifier.

3. Create promo codes for campaign

• Random Type: Random String
• String Length: 8
• Character Set: Alphanumeric
• Output: K9mP3xQz

Combine with a prefix using the Text Transform action: PROMO-K9mP3xQz

4. Generate temporary password

• Random Type: Random String
• String Length: 16
• Character Set: Alphanumeric + Symbols
• Output: aB3!xK9@mP#qR2$n

Security Note: While this generates a random password, remember that HubSpot workflows should not be used for production password management. Use established authentication systems for user passwords.

5. Random priority assignment

• Random Type: Random Number
• Minimum Value: 1
• Maximum Value: 10
• Output: 7

Assign random priority levels to deals or tickets for load balancing across team members.

Common Use Cases

A/B Testing & Experiments

• Randomly assign contacts to test groups
• Create balanced cohorts for campaigns
• Random sampling for surveys

Unique Identifiers

• Generate order reference numbers
• Create unique tracking codes
• Produce correlation IDs for external systems
• Unique ticket or case numbers

Promotional Campaigns

• Generate unique promo codes
• Create one-time use voucher codes
• Random discount percentages

Load Balancing

• Randomly assign records to team members
• Distribute leads evenly across queues
• Random priority assignment

Best Practices

For Numbers

• Use appropriate ranges: Keep ranges realistic (e.g., 1-100 for percentages, 1-10 for groups).
• Document your ranges: Note what different number ranges mean in your workflow descriptions.
• Consider distribution: Random numbers are uniformly distributed, so all values in the range are equally likely.

For UUIDs

• Perfect for uniqueness: UUIDs are statistically unique and ideal for reference numbers.
• Database friendly: Great for foreign keys or correlation IDs when integrating with external systems.
• Case sensitive: UUIDs include lowercase letters; normalize casing if needed.

For Strings

• Length matters: Longer strings are more unique. For promo codes, 8-12 characters is typical.
• Choose the right character set:
  • Use numeric for PIN codes
  • Use alphanumeric for general codes
  • Add symbols only when extra security is needed
• Avoid confusion: Consider using Text Transform to remove ambiguous characters (0/O, 1/l) if codes will be manually entered.

General

• Store the original: Save random values to properties immediately so you can reference them later.
• Handle duplicates gracefully: While random values are usually unique, for strings and numbers there’s always a theoretical chance of collision. UUIDs are the safest choice when uniqueness is critical.
• Test your workflows: Run test executions to verify the random values meet your requirements.

Randomness Quality

All random generation uses cryptographically secure random number generation (crypto.getRandomValues() and crypto.randomUUID()), ensuring high-quality randomness suitable for security-sensitive applications like token generation.

Random Type Reference

Type	Output Example	Typical Length	Uniqueness
Random Number (0-100)	42	1-3 chars	Low
Random Number (1-1000000)	384729	1-7 chars	Medium
UUID v4	550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000	36 chars	Extremely High
String (8, alphanumeric)	aB3xK9mP	8 chars	High
String (16, alphanumeric+symbols)	aB3!xK9@mP#qR2$n	16 chars	Very High

Related Actions

• Text Transform — Format or combine random values with prefixes/suffixes
• Webhook — Send random values to external systems for validation or storage