Field of Halstead Metrics
Program length (N):
This is the total number of operator and operand occurrences in the program.
Vocabulary size (n):
This is the total number of distinct operators and operands in the program.
Program volume (V):
This is the product of program length (N) and the logarithm of vocabulary size (n),
i.e., V = N*log2(n)
Program level (L):
This is the ratio of the number of operator occurrences to the number of operand occurrences in the program,
i.e., L = n1/n2
where n1 is the number of operator occurrences and n2 is the number of operand occurrences.
Program difficulty (D):
This is the ratio of the number of unique operators to the total number of operators in the program,
i.e., D = (n1/2) * (N2/n2)
Program effort (E):
This is the product of program volume (V) and program difficulty
(D), i.e., E = V*D
Time to implement (T):
This is the estimated time required to implement the program, based on the program effort (E) and a constant value that depends on the programming language and development environment.
Halstead’s software metrics can be used to estimate the size, complexity, and effort required to develop and maintain a software program. However, they have some limitations, such as the assumption that all operators and operands are equally important, and the assumption that the same set of metrics can be used for different programming languages and development environments.
Halstead’s Software Metrics – Software Engineering
Halstead’s Software metrics are a set of measures proposed by Maurice Halstead to evaluate the complexity of a software program. These metrics are based on the number of distinct operators and operands in the program and are used to estimate the effort required to develop and maintain the program. These metrics provide a quantitative assessment of software complexity, aiding in software development, maintenance, and quality assurance processes. They include measures such as program length, vocabulary, volume, difficulty, and effort, calculated based on the number of unique operators and operands in a program. Halstead’s metrics help developers understand and manage software complexity, identify potential areas for optimization, and improve overall software quality.
Table of Content
- What is Halstead’s Software Metrics?
- Token Count
- Field of Halstead Metrics
- Halstead’s Software Metrices
- Example of Halstead’s Software Metrices
- Advantages of Halstead Metrics
- Disadvantages of Halstead Metrics
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions on Halstead’s Software Metrices -FAQs