This cop checks that the cyclomatic complexity of methods is not higher than the configured maximum. The cyclomatic complexity is the number of linearly independent paths through a method. The algorithm counts decision points and adds one.

An if statement (or unless or ?:) increases the complexity by one. An else branch does not, since it doesn't add a decision point. The && operator (or keyword and) can be converted to a nested if statement, and ||/or is shorthand for a sequence of ifs, so they also add one. Loops can be said to have an exit condition, so they add one.

This cop tries to produce a complexity score that's a measure of the complexity the reader experiences when looking at a method. For that reason it considers when nodes as something that doesn't add as much complexity as an if or a &&. Except if it's one of those special case/when constructs where there's no expression after case. Then the cop treats it as an if/elsif/elsif... and lets all the when nodes count. In contrast to the CyclomaticComplexity cop, this cop considers else nodes as adding complexity.

Example:

def my_method                   # 1
  if cond                       # 1
    case var                    # 2 (0.8 + 4 * 0.2, rounded)
    when 1 then func_one
    when 2 then func_two
    when 3 then func_three
    when 4..10 then func_other
    end
  else                          # 1
    do_something until a && b   # 2
  end                           # ===
end                             # 7 complexity points

Cognitive Complexity

Cognitive Complexity is a measure of how difficult a unit of code is to intuitively understand. Unlike Cyclomatic Complexity, which determines how difficult your code will be to test, Cognitive Complexity tells you how difficult your code will be to read and comprehend.

A method's cognitive complexity is based on a few simple rules:

• Code is not considered more complex when it uses shorthand that the language provides for collapsing multiple statements into one
• Code is considered more complex for each "break in the linear flow of the code"
• Code is considered more complex when "flow breaking structures are nested"

Further reading

• Cognitive Complexity docs
• Cognitive Complexity: A new way of measuring understandability

Modifiers should be indented as deep as method definitions, or as deep as the class/module keyword, depending on configuration.

Example: EnforcedStyle: indent (default)

# bad
class Plumbus
private
  def smooth; end
end

# good
class Plumbus
  private
  def smooth; end
end

Example: EnforcedStyle: outdent

# bad
class Plumbus
  private
  def smooth; end
end

# good
class Plumbus
private
  def smooth; end
end

This cops checks if empty lines around the bodies of classes match the configuration.

Example: EnforcedStyle: empty_lines

# good

class Foo

  def bar
    # ...
  end

end

Example: EnforcedStyle: emptylinesexcept_namespace

# good

class Foo
  class Bar

    # ...

  end
end

Example: EnforcedStyle: emptylinesspecial

# good
class Foo

  def bar; end

end

Example: EnforcedStyle: noemptylines (default)

# good

class Foo
  def bar
    # ...
  end
end

This cops checks for two or more consecutive blank lines.

Example:

# bad - It has two empty lines.
some_method
# one empty line
# two empty lines
some_method

# good
some_method
# one empty line
some_method

Checks that block braces have or don't have a space before the opening brace depending on configuration.

Example:

# bad
foo.map{ |a|
  a.bar.to_s
}

# good
foo.map { |a|
  a.bar.to_s
}

This cops checks if empty lines around the bodies of classes match the configuration.

Example: EnforcedStyle: empty_lines

# good

class Foo

  def bar
    # ...
  end

end

Example: EnforcedStyle: emptylinesexcept_namespace

# good

class Foo
  class Bar

    # ...

  end
end

Example: EnforcedStyle: emptylinesspecial

# good
class Foo

  def bar; end

end

Example: EnforcedStyle: noemptylines (default)

# good

class Foo
  def bar
    # ...
  end
end

Checks that block braces have or don't have surrounding space inside them on configuration. For blocks taking parameters, it checks that the left brace has or doesn't have trailing space depending on configuration.

Example: EnforcedStyle: space (default)

# The `space` style enforces that block braces have
# surrounding space.

# bad
some_array.each {puts e}

# good
some_array.each { puts e }

Example: EnforcedStyle: no_space

# The `no_space` style enforces that block braces don't
# have surrounding space.

# bad
some_array.each { puts e }

# good
some_array.each {puts e}

Example: EnforcedStyleForEmptyBraces: no_space (default)

# The `no_space` EnforcedStyleForEmptyBraces style enforces that
# block braces don't have a space in between when empty.

# bad
some_array.each {   }
some_array.each {  }
some_array.each { }

# good
some_array.each {}

Example: EnforcedStyleForEmptyBraces: space

# The `space` EnforcedStyleForEmptyBraces style enforces that
# block braces have at least a spece in between when empty.

# bad
some_array.each {}

# good
some_array.each { }
some_array.each {  }
some_array.each {   }

Example: SpaceBeforeBlockParameters: true (default)

# The SpaceBeforeBlockParameters style set to `true` enforces that
# there is a space between `{` and `|`. Overrides `EnforcedStyle`
# if there is a conflict.

# bad
[1, 2, 3].each {|n| n * 2 }

# good
[1, 2, 3].each { |n| n * 2 }

Example: SpaceBeforeBlockParameters: true

# The SpaceBeforeBlockParameters style set to `false` enforces that
# there is no space between `{` and `|`. Overrides `EnforcedStyle`
# if there is a conflict.

# bad
[1, 2, 3].each { |n| n * 2 }

# good
[1, 2, 3].each {|n| n * 2 }

Use a guard clause instead of wrapping the code inside a conditional expression

Example:

# bad
def test
  if something
    work
  end
end

# good
def test
  return unless something
  work
end

# also good
def test
  work if something
end

# bad
if something
  raise 'exception'
else
  ok
end

# good
raise 'exception' if something
ok