Class CognitiveComplexityCounter

java.lang.Object
org.ek9lang.compiler.phase5.CognitiveComplexityCounter
final class CognitiveComplexityCounter extends Object
Tracks cognitive complexity within functions/methods/operators. Cognitive complexity measures how difficult code is to understand, accounting for nesting depth and EK9's unique guard expressions.

Formula: For each control structure, cost = (base_cost + guard_penalty) x nesting_depth

Base costs:

  • Control structures (if, while, for, switch, try, catch, finally): 1
  • Guard expression (<-): +1 penalty (declaration + check + scoping)

Additional flat costs:

  • Coalescing operators (??, ?:, etc.): 1 each
  • Boolean sequences (and, or): 1 per sequence
  • Stream pipes beyond 3: 1 each

Key insight: EK9's guards pack more cognitive load per line than simple conditions. A 5-level guarded structure is harder to understand than 5 simple ifs.

See Also:

  • Constructor Summary

    Constructors
    Constructor
    Description
    CognitiveComplexityCounter()
     

  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type
    Method
    Description
    (package private) void
    addControlStructure(boolean hasGuard)
    Add cognitive cost for a control structure.
    (package private) void
    addFlatCost(int cost)
    Add flat cognitive cost (not multiplied by depth).
    (package private) void
    enterNesting()
    Increment depth when entering a control structure.
    (package private) void
    exitNesting()
    Decrement depth when exiting a control structure.
    (package private) boolean
    isEmpty()
    Check if there are any scopes on the stack.
    (package private) int
    popScope()
    Pop scope and return total cognitive complexity.
    (package private) void
    pushScope()
    Push new scope when entering function/method/operator.

    Methods inherited from class Object

    clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

  • Constructor Details

    • CognitiveComplexityCounter

      CognitiveComplexityCounter()

  • Method Details

    • pushScope

      void pushScope()
      Push new scope when entering function/method/operator.

    • popScope

      int popScope()
      Pop scope and return total cognitive complexity. Called when exiting function/method/operator.
      Returns:
      the total cognitive complexity accumulated in this scope

    • enterNesting

      void enterNesting()
      Increment depth when entering a control structure.

    • exitNesting

      void exitNesting()
      Decrement depth when exiting a control structure.

    • addControlStructure

      void addControlStructure(boolean hasGuard)
      Add cognitive cost for a control structure. Cost = (base_cost + guard_penalty) x current_depth
      Parameters:
      hasGuard - true if this control structure uses a guard expression (<-)

    • addFlatCost

      void addFlatCost(int cost)
      Add flat cognitive cost (not multiplied by depth). Used for coalescing operators, boolean sequences, etc.
      Parameters:
      cost - the flat cost to add

    • isEmpty

      boolean isEmpty()
      Check if there are any scopes on the stack.
      Returns:
      true if stack has no contents