Automated Software Source Code Quality Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for evaluating software source code quality are inefficient and impractical, especially for large volumes of code, due to dependence on expert assessment and the limitations of quality metrics, which are not easily scalable or reproducible.
Innovation Solution
An automated method and device that determine the current quality of software source code and the distance to a predetermined quality target, using a sequence of refactoring steps to provide a measurable path for improvement, allowing for the selection of an optimized sequence of refactoring steps to achieve the desired quality based on predefined criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If expert assessment is used to evaluate software source code quality, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and loss of time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual expert assessment process with an automated evaluation system that uses computational algorithms to analyze source code quality metrics, thereby reducing time consumption while maintaining assessment accuracy through systematic measurement of code properties
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation system performs self-assessment by automatically measuring quality metrics such as cyclomatic complexity, code duplication, and maintainability indices without requiring human intervention, enabling the software system to evaluate its own quality attributes
2Reliability
If manual expert review is performed, then reliability of quality assessment is improved, but productivity decreases due to time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes manual review processes with automated computational tools that consistently apply predefined quality metrics and measurement algorithms, ensuring reliable and reproducible quality assessments while eliminating the time bottleneck that limits development productivity
3Measurement precision
If quality metrics are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to dependence on technological boundary conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adapts quality measurement parameters to be independent of specific technological boundary conditions by using normalized metrics and relative comparisons, allowing the same evaluation framework to assess code quality across different system configurations without increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The evaluation system is designed with universal quality metrics that can assess multiple software quality attributes (maintainability, intelligibility, complexity) using a single integrated framework, reducing device complexity by consolidating multiple measurement approaches into one unified system
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a device are disclosed for automated evaluation of the quality of a software source code, a quality target being predetermined for the quality of the source code. The current quality of the source code and the distance between the current quality of the source code and the predetermined quality target are determined for the quality of the source code. At least one embodiment of the invention permits high volumes of source code to be evaluated in an automated fashion with respect to their quality.