Static code analysis
Static code analysis is a set of methods for analysing
software source code in an effort to gain
understanding and to target areas for review and/or rewrite. The number of metrics (
measures) that can be applied are numerous. One of the crudest measurements, for example, is the size of code, usually expressed in kLOC's (1000 lines of code). Defining a consistent definition of a
line of code has long been an item for debate.
One common metric in static analysis is McCabes Cyclomatic Complexity Metric which measures the number of choices a function makes. Functions with a high number of conditional statements (if's, while etc.) will have a high complexity. Such functions therefore can be considered more likely to contain bugs and be harder to maintain.
See also
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