Creating random points within polygon from database?

Question

Although I have a solution for it in ArcGIS named Hawth's tools, but I wanted to know whether it is possible in QGIS or not. Additionally, I am not having a lower version of ArcGIS on which I can do my work:

• I have a database file having village names
• I have village shapefile having names
• I want to geocode the database file on the basis of matching names for villages, but I want to geocode it randomly in the polygon and not overlapped on each other where names are matching.

Answer 1

Based on my experience of Hawth's tools and the title of your question, if I have understood you correctly, you want to generate a set of random points within a polygon that you can use as a sampling tool.

This is possible in QGIS: Vector->Research Tools->Random Points.

In Vector->Research Tools you will also find some other tools that are similar to some in Hawth's tools such as the creation of grids, regular points etc.

If this is NOT what you want, please edit your questino to clarify what you are trying to achieve.