1. What is Cyclomatic Complexity?

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.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the cyclomatic complexity formula:

Where:

• \( V \) — Cyclomatic complexity
• \( E \) — Number of edges in the control flow graph
• \( N \) — Number of nodes in the control flow graph

Explanation: The formula calculates the number of independent paths through the program by analyzing its control flow graph.

3. Importance of Cyclomatic Complexity

Details: Cyclomatic complexity is important for software testing and maintenance. Lower values indicate simpler code that's easier to test and maintain.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of edges and nodes from your program's control flow graph. Both values must be non-negative integers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is a good cyclomatic complexity value?
A: Values 1-10 are considered simple, 11-20 moderate, 21-50 complex, and >50 very complex/unstable.

Q2: How can I reduce cyclomatic complexity?
A: Refactor complex methods into smaller ones, reduce nested conditionals, and use design patterns.

Q3: What tools can calculate this automatically?
A: Tools like Pylint, Radon, and SonarQube can automatically calculate cyclomatic complexity for Python code.

Q4: Does this apply to all programming languages?
A: The concept applies to all procedural languages, though the exact calculation might vary slightly.

Q5: Why is cyclomatic complexity important for testing?
A: It determines the minimum number of test cases needed to cover all possible paths through the code.