Cyclomatic
complexity was developed by Thomas J. McCabe Sr in 1976, it is a software metric
or a unit of measurement in programs primarily used in white-box testing. It is
best defined as a measure of the logical complexity or intricacy of an
algorithm. It is used to gauge or determine the complexity of an application or
its specific functions. Cyclomatic complexity quantitatively determines the
programs logical strength based on existing decision paths within the source
code. The control flow graph of the program is computed using Cyclomatic
complexity.
Using
Cyclomatic Complexity on Your Software
Cyclomatic
complexity aids in limiting standard intricacies during the development process
of any program by splitting it into easier to manage or smaller components. Level
10 and below programs are considered to be within the acceptable range of
cyclomatic complexity. This particular measurement can be used to easily
identify problem areas while the program is at the source code level.
The cyclomatic
complexity of a portion of a source code is the count of the number of
independent paths throughout the program. For example, if the source code of a
program contained no decision points like IF and FOR statements, the complexity
or measurement would be 1 since there is only a single course throughout that
section. However, if the code has a single IF statement then there would be 2
paths throughout the code. One path would be the noted as TRUE and the other
would be FALSE. The algorithm or formular for the measure of cyclomatic
complexity can be derived based on the number of edges and nodes on the control
flow graph.
It is best represented with the following equation:
M = E –
N + P
Where:
M is
the Complexity
E
refers to the value of Edges
N
refers to the value of Nodes
P
refers to the value of Exit Nodes
Cyclomaticcomplexity aids program developers to determine the independent path executions
and base line unit tests that they need to confirm. By using this, programmers
can be sure that all program paths have been tested at least once and will
greatly save time and effort during debugging of a program.
