Complexity Management

Code Complexity Management

Context (Input)

• PHPInsights checks fail (make phpinsights returns errors)
• Cyclomatic complexity exceeds thresholds
• Code quality score drops below 100%
• Architecture score falls below 100%
• Style score drops below 100%
• Complexity score falls below 93%
• Adding new features that increase complexity
• Refactoring existing code for better maintainability

Task (Function)

Maintain exceptional code quality standards using PHPInsights while preserving hexagonal architecture, DDD patterns, and CQRS design.

Success Criteria:

• make phpinsights passes without errors
• Code quality: 100%
• Complexity: ≥ 94%
• Architecture: 100%
• Style: 100%

Protected Quality Thresholds

CRITICAL: These thresholds in phpinsights.php must NEVER be lowered:

'requirements' => [
    'min-quality' => 100,      // Code quality
    'min-complexity' => 94,    // Cyclomatic complexity
    'min-architecture' => 100, // Architecture compliance
    'min-style' => 100,        // Coding style
],

Policy: If PHPInsights fails, fix the code - NEVER lower these thresholds.

⚠️ CRITICAL POLICY: NEVER CHANGE CONFIG

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  When PHPInsights fails, you MUST FIX THE CODE.               ║
║  NEVER lower thresholds in phpinsights.php.                   ║
║                                                               ║
║  ❌ FORBIDDEN: Changing config to pass checks                 ║
║  ✅ REQUIRED:  Refactoring code to meet standards             ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Quick Start Workflow

Step 1: Identify Complex Classes

# Find top 20 most complex classes
make analyze-complexity

# Find top 10 classes
make analyze-complexity N=10

# Export as JSON for tracking
make analyze-complexity-json N=20 > complexity-report.json

Output shows:

• CCN (Cyclomatic Complexity): > 15 is critical
• WMC (Weighted Method Count): Sum of all method complexities
• Avg Complexity: CCN ÷ Methods (target: < 5)
• Max Complexity: Highest complexity of any single method
• Maintainability Index: 0-100 (target: > 65)

See: reference/analysis-tools.md

Step 2: Run PHPInsights

make phpinsights

Step 3: Identify Failing Metric

❌ [COMPLEXITY] 93.5 pts (target: 94%)
✗ Method `CustomerCommandHandler::handle` has cyclomatic complexity of 12

Step 4: Apply Refactoring Strategy

See: refactoring-strategies.md for proven patterns:

• Extract Methods
• Strategy Pattern
• Early Returns
• Functional Composition

Step 5: Verify Improvements

make phpinsights

Repeat until all scores meet thresholds.

Quick Fix Guide by Issue Type

Cyclomatic Complexity Too High

Problem: Method has too many decision points (if/else/switch/loops)

Identify hotspots:

make analyze-complexity N=10

Solutions:

1. Extract methods: Break complex method into smaller private methods
2. Strategy pattern: Replace conditionals with polymorphism
3. Early returns: Reduce nesting with guard clauses
4. Command pattern: Separate command handling logic

See: refactoring-strategies.md for DDD/CQRS-specific patterns

Architecture Violations

Problem: Layer dependencies violated (e.g., Domain depending on Infrastructure)

Solutions:

1. Review layer boundaries: Domain → Application → Infrastructure
2. Use interfaces: Define contracts in Domain, implement in Infrastructure
3. Dependency injection: Inject dependencies through constructors
4. Repository pattern: Keep data access in Infrastructure layer

See: deptrac-fixer skill for fixing architectural violations

Style Issues

Problem: Code doesn't meet PSR-12 or Symfony coding standards

Solution:

# Auto-fix most style issues
make phpcsfixer

# Re-run PHPInsights to verify
make phpinsights

Line Length > 100 Characters

Problem: Lines exceed configured limit

Solutions:

1. Break long method calls into multiple lines
2. Extract complex expressions into variables
3. Use named parameters (PHP 8+)
4. Refactor long argument lists into DTOs

See: reference/project-configuration.md

Constraints (Parameters)

NEVER

• Lower quality thresholds in phpinsights.php
• Lower thresholds in phpinsights-tests.php
• Skip PHPInsights checks to "save time"
• Disable sniffs without understanding impact
• Ignore architecture violations
• Put business logic in Application layer (belongs in Domain)

ALWAYS

• Fix code to meet standards (not config to meet code)
• Run make phpinsights after refactoring
• Maintain hexagonal architecture while reducing complexity
• Keep Domain layer pure (no framework dependencies)
• Use make analyze-complexity to find hotspots
• Run make ci before committing
• Preserve test coverage while refactoring

Format (Output)

Expected PHPInsights Output

[CODE] 100.0 pts       ✅ Target: 100%
[COMPLEXITY] 94.0 pts  ✅ Target: 94%
[ARCHITECTURE] 100 pts ✅ Target: 100%
[STYLE] 100.0 pts      ✅ Target: 100%

Expected CI Output

✅ CI checks successfully passed!

Verification Checklist

After refactoring:

• make phpinsights passes without errors
• Code quality: 100%
• Complexity: ≥ 94%
• Architecture: 100%
• Style: 100%
• No layer boundary violations (make deptrac passes)
• All tests still pass (make all-tests)
• Test coverage maintained
• Code remains aligned with hexagonal architecture

Related Skills

• quality-standards - Overview of all protected quality thresholds
• implementing-ddd-architecture - Proper layer separation and patterns
• deptrac-fixer - Fix architectural violations
• code-organization - Structural refactoring, directory placement, naming, config extraction
• ci-workflow - Run comprehensive CI checks
• testing-workflow - Maintain test coverage during refactoring

Quick Commands

# Find complex classes
make analyze-complexity N=10

# Run PHPInsights
make phpinsights

# Find complex methods with PHPMD
make phpmd

# Auto-fix style issues
make phpcsfixer

# Validate architecture
make deptrac

# Run all tests
make all-tests

# Full CI check
make ci

Reference Documentation

For detailed patterns, strategies, and troubleshooting:

• ⚡ Quick Start Guide - Fast-track workflow for immediate action
• 🔧 Analysis Tools - Complete guide to complexity analysis commands
• 📚 Refactoring Strategies - Modern PHP patterns with real-world examples
• 📊 Complexity Metrics - Understanding what each metric means
• 🛠️ Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• 📈 Monitoring - Track improvements over time
• ⚙️ Project Configuration - Project-specific settings and patterns

Priority Order for Fixes

When facing multiple issues:

1. CRITICAL (Complexity > 15): Immediate refactoring required
2. HIGH (Architecture violations): Breaks hexagonal/DDD boundaries
3. MEDIUM (Complexity 10-15): Plan refactoring
4. LOW (Style issues): Quick fixes, often auto-fixable

External Resources

• PHPInsights Documentation: https://phpinsights.com/
• Project Architecture: See CLAUDE.md for hexagonal/DDD/CQRS patterns
• CodelyTV DDD: Inspiration for architecture patterns

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