What is cyclometric complexity?
Software Engineering
Computer Science Engineering
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Knowledge
Cyclomatic complexity is a software metric used to measure the complexity of a program. It is a count of the number of linearly independent paths through a program's source code. It was developed by Thomas J. McCabe, Sr. in 1976.
Cyclomatic complexity is computed using the control-flow graph of the program: the nodes of the graph correspond to indivisible groups of commands of a program, and a directed edge connects two nodes if the second command might be executed immediately after the first command.
The cyclomatic complexity of a program is the number of connected components in its control-flow graph. A connected component is a subgraph in which any two nodes can be reached from each other by following a sequence of edges.
Cyclomatic complexity is a useful metric for measuring the complexity of a program because it is directly related to the number of test cases that are needed to test the program. A program with a high cyclomatic complexity will require more test cases to be tested thoroughly than a program with a low cyclomatic complexity.
Cyclomatic complexity can also be used to measure the maintainability of a program. A program with a high cyclomatic complexity will be more difficult to maintain than a program with a low cyclomatic complexity.
There are a number of ways to reduce the cyclomatic complexity of a program. One way is to reduce the number of decision points in the program. Another way is to use structured programming techniques, such as functions and subroutines, to break the program into smaller, more manageable units.
Reducing the cyclomatic complexity of a program can make it easier to test and maintain, which can lead to improved quality and reduced costs.
Here are some of the benefits of reducing cyclomatic complexity:
If you are a software developer, you should consider reducing the cyclomatic complexity of your programs. It is a simple and effective way to improve the quality, maintainability, and security of your software.
Cyclomatic complexity of a code section is the quantitative measure of the number of linearly independent paths in it.
Cyclomatic complexity is a software metric used to indicate the complexity of a program. It is a quantitative measure of the number of linearly independent paths through a program's source code. It was developed by Thomas J. McCabe, Sr. in 1976.