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

This cops checks for parentheses around the arguments in method definitions. Both instance and class/singleton methods are checked.

Example: EnforcedStyle: require_parentheses (default)

# The `require_parentheses` style requires method definitions
# to always use parentheses

# bad
def bar num1, num2
  num1 + num2
end

def foo descriptive_var_name,
        another_descriptive_var_name,
        last_descriptive_var_name
  do_something
end

# good
def bar(num1, num2)
  num1 + num2
end

def foo(descriptive_var_name,
        another_descriptive_var_name,
        last_descriptive_var_name)
  do_something
end

Example: EnforcedStyle: requirenoparentheses

# The `require_no_parentheses` style requires method definitions
# to never use parentheses

# bad
def bar(num1, num2)
  num1 + num2
end

def foo(descriptive_var_name,
        another_descriptive_var_name,
        last_descriptive_var_name)
  do_something
end

# good
def bar num1, num2
  num1 + num2
end

def foo descriptive_var_name,
        another_descriptive_var_name,
        last_descriptive_var_name
  do_something
end

Example: EnforcedStyle: requirenoparenthesesexceptmultiline

# The `require_no_parentheses_except_multiline` style prefers no
# parantheses when method definition arguments fit on single line,
# but prefers parantheses when arguments span multiple lines.

# bad
def bar(num1, num2)
  num1 + num2
end

def foo descriptive_var_name,
        another_descriptive_var_name,
        last_descriptive_var_name
  do_something
end

# good
def bar num1, num2
  num1 + num2
end

def foo(descriptive_var_name,
        another_descriptive_var_name,
        last_descriptive_var_name)
  do_something
end

This cop checks for redundant uses of self.

The usage of self is only needed when:

• Sending a message to same object with zero arguments in presence of a method name clash with an argument or a local variable.

• Calling an attribute writer to prevent an local variable assignment.

Note, with using explicit self you can only send messages with public or protected scope, you cannot send private messages this way.

Note we allow uses of self with operators because it would be awkward otherwise.

Example:

# bad
def foo(bar)
  self.baz
end

# good
def foo(bar)
  self.bar  # Resolves name clash with the argument.
end

def foo
  bar = 1
  self.bar  # Resolves name clash with the local variable.
end

def foo
  %w[x y z].select do |bar|
    self.bar == bar  # Resolves name clash with argument of the block.
  end
end