Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!tektronix!reed!psu-cs!warren
From: warren@psu-cs.UUCP (Warren Harrison)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: C code metrics
Message-ID: <803@psu-cs.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jul 88 20:44:41 GMT
References: <4820@cg-atla.UUCP>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Portland State University; Portland OR
Lines: 49

> Request for Help:
> 
> I've recently been reading DeMarco's "Controlling Software Projects"
> (Yourdon Press 1982), and am now interested in adding some metrics 
> to our project.  However, his metrics are designed for EDP projects 
> written in COBOL.  We have an interactive system written in C and 
> running UNIX.  Can any net readers offer advice about or tools for 
> measuring the following:
> 
> 	Code Volume
> 		Past attemps to measure the size of code have used 
> 		number of lines.  However, this appears to be pretty
> 		inaccurate.   DeMarco suggests that counting the
> 		number of operands and operators and multiply by
> 		the log(base 2) of the number of unique identifiers
> 		is a much more accurate measure.  Anyone have a
> 		program to parse C code and do this?  What about
> 		including .h files and macros?
> 
> 	Code Quality
> 		DeMarco suggests analysing code by counting the
> 		number of entry and exit points from routines,
> 		looking for GOTOs, etc.  Anyone have a program
> 		that could parse C code and at least give
> 		some indication of relative complexity of
> 		different modules and perhaps hightlight
> 		areas of code that might profit from a code
> 		code review?
> 		
> 
> I'm looking both for information explaining how to judge the size and
> quality of C code, and also for any tools that will automatically
> perform some analysis.  Send me email, and if I get any good info I'll
> summarize to the net.  Thanks in advance.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Rob Bradlee  w:(617)-658-5600 X5153  h:(617)-944-5595
> Compugraphic Corp.	    ...!{ima,ulowell,ism780c}!cg-atla!bradlee
> 200 Ballardvale St.
> Wilmington, Mass. 01887           The Nordic Way: Ski till it hurts!

Look into PC-METRIC from SET Laboratories [503-289-4758].  Does Halsteads
Software Science (the operator/operand strategy you refer to) and Cyclomatic
Complexity.  Versions for C, Pascal, Modula-2, COBOL, FORTRAN, etc.  It was
reviewed in this month's Computer magazine from IEEE.

--- I admit I work for them sometimes ... but I'm just answering the
guy's question ---