Software Engineering Tutorial

Introduction SDLC

SDLC Models

Agile Model Big-bang Model Incremental Model Iterative Model Prototype Model RAD Model Spiral Model V-Model Waterfall Model Open Source Development Model

Software Management

Project Management Project Management Activities Project Management Tools

Software Metrics

Software Quality Metrics Halstead's Software Metrics Object Oriented Metrices Data Structure Metrics Overall Equipment Effectiveness Some Important Quality Metrics

Project Planning

Software project planning Cost Estimation Model

Software Configuration

Software Configuration Management Project Monitoring and Control

System Design

Strategies for System Design Caching in System Design Load Balancer – System Design Dropbox - System Design Netflix - System Design Twitter - System Design

Misc

Routing Requests through Load Balancers Object Oriented Analysis and Design in Software Engineering Online Library Management System ER Diagram in Software Engineering Umbrella Activities in Software Engineering Jelianska Moranda Software Relability Model RAD Model vs SDLC Model Software Myths in Software Engineering What is Capability Maturity Model Characteristics of Software Engineering Characteristics of Good Design in Software Engineering Program Analysis Tools in Software Engineering Reactive and Proactive Software Risk Management in Software Engineering Size-Oriented Metrics in Software Engineering Software Requirements and their Types in Software Engineering Structured Programming in Software Engineering System Development Life Cycle in MIS Difference between V Model and Waterfall Model Overview of Fish SDLC Model

Halstead's Software Metrics

Halstead’s software science metrics

According to Halstead’s software metrics, a program is the implementation of an algorithm. These steps are considered as a number of tokens, and tokens are classified as operators and operands. All software science measures are functions of the counts of these tokens.

Token count

  1. Operator –Any symbol or keyword in a program that specifies an algorithm is considered an operator. For example, arithmetic symbols like (+. -. /,*), punctuation marks, common names (while, for, print f), special symbols (=, :) and function names.
  2. Operand– In an algorithm or program, a symbol is used to represent data, constants, variables, labels, etc. is considered as an operand.

For example:    

if (k< 2)
 {
k=3;
x=x*k;
  }
Halstead

Maurice Howard Halstead brought Halstead's software metrics concept in 1977 to measure the software metrics. Halstead's complexity measure is used to measure program module complexity directly from source code.

Two necessary measures of Halstead's software science are:

  • Size of vocabulary ղ ( known as Ita)

The size of the vocabulary of a program is defined as a number of unique tokens in a program used to build a program.

ղ =ղ1 + ղ2

where,

ղ = number of vocabulary in a program

ղ1 = number of unique operators

ղ2 = number of unique operands

By using this formula, we can find the total number of vocabulary in a given source code.

  • Length of program N

The total number of tokens in a program is termed as the Length of the program.

N = N1 + N2

Where,

N = Length of program

N1= Total occurrences of operators

N2 = Total occurrences of operators

Additional metrics are defined using these basic terms- the size of vocabulary and Length of the program. Another measure for the size of the program is known as:

  • Program Volume (V)

                                          V= N x log2ղ

Program volume is proportional to program size, represents the size of space necessary for sorting a program.

Unit of volume = Common unit of size “bits” {it is the actual size of the program if a uniform binary encoding for the vocabulary is used}

  • Potential Volume

                               V* = represents a program having a minimal size.

V* = (2+n2 *) log2(2+n2*)

  • Program Level

L = V* / V

Program level L = Ranges between 0 to 1

L =1 states that the program is written with minimum size.

Else if L=0 states program has a maximum size.

V* = potential volume {different or equivalent programs may implement an algorithm. Therefore program that is minimal in size will have potential volume}

Other different measures are:-

  • Program difficulty D

                                 D = ղ1/2 x N2 / ղ2

                                 D = 1/L

Difficulty measure is the difficulty of the program to read or write the program. If the program level decreases, difficulty to handle that program increases.

  • Effort –The amount of effort needed to translate an algorithm into implementation is specified programming language.

E = V/L = D x V

V = Volume of program

 L = Level of program

D =Program difficulty

V= Volume of program

  • Language Level λ

 λ = L* V* { L= V*/ V =>V*= LV}

                                      λ = L2 * V

  • Time required to program

T = E/ 18 sec

T = Time

E = Effort

  • Number of delivered bugs

B = E2/3/3000   {actually whole state delivered bugs is an estimated number of errors in the implementation}

Recently V/3000 is accepted for delivered bugs B.

  • Estimated program Length

The first hypothesis of software science is that the length of well structure software program is a function of number of unique operators and operands.

N =ղ1log2ղ1+ ղ2log2ղ2

ղ1 = number of unique operators

ղ2 = number of unique operands

  • Purity Ratio

                        P= N/N

Rules for finding the number of tokens in the C programming language

  • Comments, a function declared, identifier, and heading are not counted as tokens.
  • All the variables, constants, labels, and variable data are considered as operands.
  • The same variable used in the different functions is counted as a unique operator.
  • All looping statements, switch statements, case statements are considered as operators.
  • All the reserve words (default, sizeof, break, default, continue, return) and bracket, terminator, or commas are counted as a token(operators).
  • GOTO statement is the operator.
  • “Array name” and index are operands.
  • Hash derivatives are ignored.

Find the number of tokens using Halstead's metrics and find n, N, V, E, λ?

Example: 1

int sort (int x[ ], int n)
                    {
                    int i, j, save im1.
                 /* This function sorts an array*/
                      if (n<2) return 1;
                   for (i=2; i<=n, i=1)
                  { im 1= i-1;
                      for (i=1; j<= im1; j + i)
                           if (x[i]< x[j])
                          {save =x[j];
                            x [i] = x[j];
                           x [j] = save;
                            }}
                           return 0;
                           }
OperatorsOccurrencesOperandsOccurrences
int4SORT1
( )5x7
,4n3
[ ]7i8
if2j7
2save8
;11im 13
for223
=612
-103
<=2 1
++2  
return2  
{}3  
    
14531038

                      n= n1+n2

                         = 14 + 10 = 24

                    N = 53+38 = 91

                   V = N log2 n

                      = 91 log2 24

Example: 2

if (x>5)
                {
                 x= x + 2;
                 if (x < 7)
                {
                    x=0;
                  }
                }
N1 ( Operators)N2 ( Operands)
ifx
( )5
x
{x
=2
;x
+7
Ifx
( )0
 
{ 
= 
; 
} 
] 
  
159

                       N= 15 ,  N2 = 9

                      n= 9 ,  n2 = 5          

Total Length (N)

          N = N1 + N2  = 15 + 9 = 24

Vocabulary (n)

                 n = n1 + n2 = 9 + 5 = 14

N/ N

N = n1 log2 n1 + n2   log2 n2

     = 9 log2 9 + 5 log2 5

   = 9 log10 9 / 0.3010 + 5 log10 5 / 0.3010

   = 9 x (3.17) + 5 x (2.32)

   = 28.53 + 116

   = 40.13

Estimated Length = N/N = 40.13/ 24 = 1.67

Volume =  N log2 n

              = 24 log2 14

              = 24 x log10 14 / 0.3010

             = 24 x 3.807 = 91.36

      D = N1/ 2 x N2 / n2

   =  9/2 x 9/5 = 81 /10 = 8.1

Effort = V *D

          = 91.36 x 8.1 = 740.016