3 Code Metrics Experienced Developers Use
3 metrics experienced developers use to measure low-quality code
- Does code work? Don’t touch it.
- Does it work? Yes — move on.
- Finish ASAP, we’ll get back to refactor.
You don’t like to hear these. You should accept the truth instead.
“As an E-type system evolves, its complexity increases unless work is done to maintain or reduce it.” ¹
Address the issues in code early. Use good code metrics to find low-quality code.
Here’s how experienced developers find low-quality code.
1. Why is cyclomatic complexity bad?
Cyclomatic complexity is a code complexity metric. Most static analysis tools use it nowadays, to predict complex code.
More branching — complex code. High metric — complex code. Higher cyclomatic complexity — more tests. Cyclomatic complexity is a good starter metric.
Static analysis misses sometimes. Cyclomatic complexity generalizes the measured code. Same metric — different comprehension.
What’s an example where cyclomatic complexity fails?
