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Perl::Critic::Policy::Modules::ProhibitExcessMainComplexity - Minimize complexity in code that is outside

Affiliation

       This Policy is part of the core Perl::Critic distribution.

Author

       Jeffrey Ryan Thalhammer <jeff@imaginative-software.com>

Configuration

       The maximum acceptable McCabe score can be set with the "max_mccabe"

       configuration item.  If the sum of all code outside any subroutine has a McCabe score higher than this
       number, it will generate a Policy violation.  The default is 20.  An example section for a .perlcriticrc:

           [Modules::ProhibitExcessMainComplexity]
           max_mccabe = 30

Description

       All else being equal, complicated code is more error-prone and more expensive to maintain than simpler
       code.  The first step towards managing complexity is to establish formal complexity metrics.  One such
       metric is the McCabe score, which describes the number of possible paths through a block of code.  This
       Policy approximates the McCabe score by summing the number of conditional statements and operators within
       a block of code.  Research has shown that a McCabe score higher than 20 is a sign of high-risk,
       potentially untestable code.  See <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclomatic_complexity> for some
       discussion about the McCabe number and other complexity metrics.

       Whereas Perl::Critic::Policy::Subroutines::ProhibitExcessComplexity scores the complexity of each
       subroutine, this Policy scores the total complexity of all the code that is outside of any subroutine
       declaration.

       The usual prescription for reducing complexity is to refactor code into smaller subroutines.  Mark
       Dominus book "Higher Order Perl" also describes callbacks, recursion, memoization, iterators, and other
       techniques that help create simple and extensible Perl code.

Name

       Perl::Critic::Policy::Modules::ProhibitExcessMainComplexity - Minimize complexity in code that is outside
       of subroutines.

Notes

         "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."

                                                         -- Albert Einstein

       Complexity is subjective, but formal complexity metrics are still incredibly valuable.  Every problem has
       an inherent level of complexity, so it is not necessarily optimal to minimize the McCabe number.  So
       don't get offended if your code triggers this Policy.  Just consider if there might be a simpler way to
       get the job done.

See Also

       Perl::Critic::Policy::Subroutines::ProhibitExcessComplexity

See Also