Ranking reusability of software components using coupling metrics

This paper provides an account of new static measures of coupling developed to assess the reusability of Java components retrieved from the internet by a search engine. These measures differ from the majority of established metrics in three respects: they take account of indirect coupling, they reflect the degree to which two classes are coupled, and they take account of the functional complexity of classes. An empirical comparison of the new measures with six established coupling metrics is described. The new measures are shown to be consistently superior at ranking components according to their reusability.