Object-oriented Metrics in Practice

by Lanza, Michele; Marinescu, Radu; Ducasse, Stephane

• ISBN13: 9783540244295
• ISBN10: 3540244298
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-30
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc

Summary

Metrics are paramount in every engineering discipline. Software engineering, however, is not considered a classical engineering activity for several reasons. In general, if a software system is seen to deliver the required functionality, only few people if any care about the internals. Moreover, defining, understanding and applying software metrics often looks like an overly complex activity, recommended only to 'trained professionals'.Lanza and Marinescu demystify the design metrics used to assess the size, quality and complexity of object-oriented software systems. Based on statistical information from many industrial projects and generally accepted semantics they deduce many single and combined threshold values. They show in detail how to identify collaboration and classification disharmony patterns in code, how to visualize their results using the freely available CodeCrawler visualization tool, and how to devise possible remedies.The combination of theoretically sound results and practically tested procedures and solution paths makes this book an ideal companion for professional software architects, developers and quality engineers. The pattern-oriented description of disharmonies offers easy access to detecting shortcomings and applying solution strategies. "This well-written book is an important piece of work that takes the seemingly forgotten art of object-oriented metrics to the next level in terms of relevance and usefulness." Richard C. Gronback, Chief Scientist, Borland Software Corporation.

Author Biography

Michele Lanza is an Assistant Professor at the University of Lugano, Switzerland. His main research interests lie in software (re)engineering and software evolution with a special focus on software visualization and metrics. He was the creator of CodeCrawler, a freely available language-independent software visualization tool. His Ph.D. work won the Ernst Denert Software Engineering Award in 2003. Michele is a member of the ACM and IEEE.Radu Marinescu is an Assistant Professor at the University of Timisoara, Romania. Radu's research focuses on object-oriented reengineering and quality assurance. Several of his published research ideas have been applied in the well-known "Borland Together Control Center" CASE Tool. He also acted as a reviewer in several phases of the IEEE's SWEBOK (Software Engineering Body of Knowledge) project.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction	1	(10)
2 Facts on Measurements and Visualization	11	(12)
2.1 Metrics and Thresholds	13	(5)
2.2 Visualizing Metrics and Design	18	(3)
2.3 Conclusions and Outlook	21	(2)
3 Characterizing the Design	23	(22)
3.1 The Overview Pyramid	24	(9)
3.2 Polymetric Views	33	(7)
3.3 Metrics at Work	40	(4)
3.4 Conclusions and Outlook	44	(1)
4 Evaluating the Design	45	(28)
4.1 Detection Strategies	48	(10)
4.2 The Class Blueprint	58	(12)
4.3 Conclusions and Outlook	70	(3)
5 Identity Disharmonies	73	(42)
5.1 Rules of Identity Harmony	73	(5)
5.2 Overview of Identity Disharmonies	78	(2)
5.3 God Class	80	(4)
5.4 Feature Envy	84	(4)
5.5 Data Class	88	(4)
5.6 Brain Method	92	(5)
5.7 Brain Class	97	(5)
5.8 Significant Duplication	102	(7)
5.9 Recovering from Identity Disharmonies	109	(6)
6 Collaboration Disharmonies	115	(24)
6.1 Collaboration Harmony Rule	115	(3)
6.2 Overview of Collaboration Disharmonies	118	(2)
6.3 Intensive Coupling	120	(7)
6.4 Dispersed Coupling	127	(6)
6.5 Shotgun Surgery	133	(4)
6.6 Recovering from Collaboration Disharmonies	137	(2)
7 Classification Disharmonies	139	(24)
7.1 Classification Harmony Rules	139	(4)
7.2 Overview of Classification Disharmonies	143	(2)
7.3 Refused Parent Bequest	145	(7)
7.4 Tradition Breaker	152	(7)
7.5 Recovering from Classification Disharmonies	159	(4)
A Catalogue of Metrics Used in the Book	163	(12)
A.1 Elements of a Metric Definition	163	(4)
A.2 Alphabetical Catalogue of Metrics	167	(8)
B iPlasma	175	(6)
B.1 Introduction	175	(1)
B.2 iPlasma at Work	175	(4)
B.3 Industrial Validation	179	(1)
B.4 Tool Information	180	(1)
C CodeCrawler	181	(4)
C.1 Introduction	181	(1)
C.2 CodeCrawler at Work	181	(2)
C.3 Industrial Validation	183	(1)
C.4 Tool Information	184	(1)
D Figures in Color	185	(10)
References	195	(6)
Index	201