Visualization and Measurement of Source Code
James H. Cross, Kai H. Chang, T. Dean Hendrix, Richard Chapman, Patricia A. Mcquaid · 2002
which has successfully prototyped a new algorithmic-level graphical representation for software—the control structure diagram (CSD)—is currently focused on the generation of a new fine-grained complexity metric called the complexity profile graph (CPG). The primary impetus for creation and refinement of the CSD and the CPG is to improve the comprehension efficiency of software and, as a result, improve reliability and reduce costs. The current GRASP release provides automatic CSD generation for Ada 95, C, C++, Java, and Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) source code, and CPG generation for Ada 95 source code. The examples and discussion in this article are based on using GRASP with Ada 95. omputer professionals have long promoted the idea that graphical representations of software can be extremely useful as comprehension aids when used to supplement textual descriptions and specifications of software, especially for large complex systems. The general goal of the GRASP research project is the investigation, formulation, and generation of graphical representations of algorithms, structures, and processes for source code written in languages such as Ada 95, C, C++, Java, and VHDL. The CSD and the CPG