Generate code metrics data

Article
03/10/2023

You can generate code metrics data in three ways:

By enabling .NET code-quality analyzers and enabling the four code metrics (maintainability) rules it contains.
By choosing the Analyze > Calculate Code Metrics menu command within Visual Studio.
From the command line for C# and Visual Basic projects.

.NET code-quality analyzers code metrics rules

The .NET code-quality analyzers include several code metrics analyzer rules:

These rules are disabled by default but you can enable them from Solution Explorer or in an EditorConfig file. For example, to enable rule CA1502 as a warning, your EditorConfig file would contain the following entry:

dotnet_diagnostic.CA1502.severity = warning

Configuration

You can configure the thresholds at which the code metrics rules fire.

Create a text file. As an example, you can name it CodeMetricsConfig.txt.
Add the desired thresholds to the text file in the following format:
```
CA1502: 10
```
In this example, rule CA1502 is configured to fire when a method's cyclomatic complexity is greater than 10.
In the Properties window of Visual Studio, or in the project file, mark the build action of the configuration file as AdditionalFiles. For example:
```
<ItemGroup>
  <AdditionalFiles Include="CodeMetricsConfig.txt" />
</ItemGroup>
```

Generate code metrics for one or all of your open projects in the IDE by using the Analyze > Calculate Code Metrics menu.

Generate code metrics results for an entire solution

You can generate code metrics results for an entire solution in any of the following ways:

From the menu bar, select Analyze > Calculate Code Metrics > For Solution.
In Solution Explorer, right-click the solution and then select Calculate Code Metrics.
In the Code Metrics Results window, select the Calculate Code Metrics for Solution button.

The results are generated and the Code Metrics Results window is displayed. To view the results details, expand the tree in the Hierarchy column.

Generate code metrics results for one or more projects

In Solution Explorer, select one or more projects.
From the menu bar, select Analyze > Calculate Code Metrics > For Selected Project(s).

The results are generated and the Code Metrics Results window is displayed. To view the results details, expand the tree in the Hierarchy.

Command-line code metrics

You can generate code metrics data from the command line for C# and Visual Basic projects for .NET Framework, .NET Core, and .NET Standard apps. To run code metrics from the command line, install the Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Metrics NuGet package or build the Metrics.exe executable yourself.

Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Metrics NuGet package

The easiest way to generate code metrics data from the command line is by installing the Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Metrics NuGet package. After you've installed the package, run msbuild /t:Metrics from the directory that contains your project file. For example:

C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3>msbuild /t:Metrics
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 16.0.360-preview+g9781d96883 for .NET Framework
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/22/2019 4:29:57 PM.
Project "C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3.csproj" on node 1 (Metrics target(s))
.
Metrics:
  C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\packages\Microsoft.CodeMetrics.2.6.4-ci\build\\..\Metrics\Metrics.exe /project:C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3.csproj /out:ClassLibrary3.Metrics.xml
  Loading ClassLibrary3.csproj...
  Computing code metrics for ClassLibrary3.csproj...
  Writing output to 'ClassLibrary3.Metrics.xml'...
  Completed Successfully.
Done Building Project "C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3.csproj" (Metrics target(s)).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

You can override the output file name by specifying /p:MetricsOutputFile=<filename>. You can also get legacy-style code metrics data by specifying /p:LEGACY_CODE_METRICS_MODE=true. For example:

C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3>msbuild /t:Metrics /p:LEGACY_CODE_METRICS_MODE=true /p:MetricsOutputFile="Legacy.xml"
Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 16.0.360-preview+g9781d96883 for .NET Framework
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Build started 1/22/2019 4:31:00 PM.
The "MetricsOutputFile" property is a global property, and cannot be modified.
Project "C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3.csproj" on node 1 (Metrics target(s))
.
Metrics:
  C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\packages\Microsoft.CodeMetrics.2.6.4-ci\build\\..\Metrics.Legacy\Metrics.Legacy.exe /project:C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3.csproj /out:Legacy.xml
  Loading ClassLibrary3.csproj...
  Computing code metrics for ClassLibrary3.csproj...
  Writing output to 'Legacy.xml'...
  Completed Successfully.
Done Building Project "C:\source\repos\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3\ClassLibrary3.csproj" (Metrics target(s)).

Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Code metrics output

The generated XML output takes the following format:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<CodeMetricsReport Version="1.0">
  <Targets>
    <Target Name="ConsoleApp20.csproj">
      <Assembly Name="ConsoleApp20, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null">
        <Metrics>
          <Metric Name="MaintainabilityIndex" Value="100" />
          <Metric Name="CyclomaticComplexity" Value="1" />
          <Metric Name="ClassCoupling" Value="1" />
          <Metric Name="DepthOfInheritance" Value="1" />
          <Metric Name="SourceLines" Value="11" />
          <Metric Name="ExecutableLines" Value="1" />
        </Metrics>
        <Namespaces>
          <Namespace Name="ConsoleApp20">
            <Metrics>
              <Metric Name="MaintainabilityIndex" Value="100" />
              <Metric Name="CyclomaticComplexity" Value="1" />
              <Metric Name="ClassCoupling" Value="1" />
              <Metric Name="DepthOfInheritance" Value="1" />
              <Metric Name="SourceLines" Value="11" />
              <Metric Name="ExecutableLines" Value="1" />
            </Metrics>
            <Types>
              <NamedType Name="Program">
                <Metrics>
                  <Metric Name="MaintainabilityIndex" Value="100" />
                  <Metric Name="CyclomaticComplexity" Value="1" />
                  <Metric Name="ClassCoupling" Value="1" />
                  <Metric Name="DepthOfInheritance" Value="1" />
                  <Metric Name="SourceLines" Value="7" />
                  <Metric Name="ExecutableLines" Value="1" />
                </Metrics>
                <Members>
                  <Method Name="void Program.Main(string[] args)" File="C:\source\repos\ConsoleApp20\ConsoleApp20\Program.cs" Line="7">
                    <Metrics>
                      <Metric Name="MaintainabilityIndex" Value="100" />
                      <Metric Name="CyclomaticComplexity" Value="1" />
                      <Metric Name="ClassCoupling" Value="1" />
                      <Metric Name="SourceLines" Value="4" />
                      <Metric Name="ExecutableLines" Value="1" />
                    </Metrics>
                  </Method>
                </Members>
              </NamedType>
            </Types>
          </Namespace>
        </Namespaces>
      </Assembly>
    </Target>
  </Targets>
</CodeMetricsReport>

Metrics.exe

If you don't want to install the NuGet package, you can generate and use the Metrics.exe executable directly. To generate the Metrics.exe executable:

Clone the dotnet/roslyn-analyzers repo.
Open Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio as an administrator.
From the root of the roslyn-analyzers repo, execute the following command: Restore.cmd
Change the directory to src\Tools\Metrics.
Execute the following command to build the Metrics.csproj project:
```
msbuild /m /v:m /p:Configuration=Release Metrics.csproj
```
An executable named Metrics.exe is generated in the artifacts\bin directory under the repo root.

Metrics.exe usage

To run Metrics.exe, supply a project or solution and an output XML file as arguments. For example:

C:\>Metrics.exe /project:ConsoleApp20.csproj /out:report.xml
Loading ConsoleApp20.csproj...
Computing code metrics for ConsoleApp20.csproj...
Writing output to 'report.xml'...
Completed Successfully.

Legacy mode

You can choose to build Metrics.exe in legacy mode. The legacy mode version of the tool generates metric values that are closer to what older versions of the tool generated. Additionally, in legacy mode, Metrics.exe generates code metrics for the same set of method types that previous versions of the tool generated code metrics for. For example, it doesn't generate code metrics data for field and property initializers. Legacy mode is useful for backward compatibility or if you have code check-in gates based on code metrics numbers. The command to build Metrics.exe in legacy mode is:

msbuild /m /v:m /t:rebuild /p:LEGACY_CODE_METRICS_MODE=true Metrics.csproj

For more information, see Enable generating code metrics in legacy mode.

Previous versions

Visual Studio 2015 included a command-line code metrics tool that was also called Metrics.exe. This previous version of the tool did a binary analysis, that is, an assembly-based analysis. The newer version of the Metrics.exe tool analyzes source code instead. Because the newer Metrics.exe tool is source code-based, command-line code metrics results might be different to those generated by the Visual Studio IDE and by previous versions of Metrics.exe. Starting in Visual Studio 2019, the Visual Studio IDE analyzes source code like the command-line tool and the results should be the same.

The new command-line code metrics tool computes metrics even in the presence of source code errors, as long as the solution and project can be loaded.

Metric value differences

Starting in Visual Studio 2019 version 16.4 and Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Metics (2.9.5), SourceLines and ExecutableLines replace the previous LinesOfCode metric. For descriptions of the new metrics, see Code metrics values. The LinesOfCode metric is available in legacy mode.

Other metrics such as CyclomaticComplexity and MaintainabilityIndex use the same formulas as previous versions of Metrics.exe, but the new tool counts the number of IOperations (logical source instructions) instead of intermediate language (IL) instructions. The numbers will be slightly different to those generated by the Visual Studio IDE and by previous versions of Metrics.exe.

Share via

Generate code metrics data

.NET code-quality analyzers code metrics rules

Configuration

Calculate Code Metrics menu command

Generate code metrics results for an entire solution

Generate code metrics results for one or more projects

Command-line code metrics

Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Metrics NuGet package

Code metrics output

Metrics.exe

Metrics.exe usage

Legacy mode

Previous versions

Metric value differences

Feedback

Additional resources

Share via

Generate code metrics data

.NET code-quality analyzers code metrics rules

Configuration

Calculate Code Metrics menu command

Generate code metrics results for an entire solution

Generate code metrics results for one or more projects

Command-line code metrics

Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.Metrics NuGet package

Code metrics output

Metrics.exe

Metrics.exe usage

Legacy mode

Previous versions

Metric value differences

Related content

Feedback

Additional resources