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Update AV1500: Methods should not exceed 15 statements #359

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dennisdoomen merged 2 commits into from
May 9, 2026
Merged

Update AV1500: Methods should not exceed 15 statements #359

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4104dea
Update AV1500 guideline
Mar 25, 2026
2413db2
Add single level of abstraction guidance to AV1500
dennisdoomen May 9, 2026
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36 changes: 34 additions & 2 deletions _rules/1500.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,7 +1,39 @@
---
rule_id: 1500
rule_category: maintainability
title: Methods should not exceed 7 statements
title: Methods should not exceed 15 statements
severity: 1
---
A method that requires more than 7 statements is simply doing too much or has too many responsibilities. It also requires the human mind to analyze the exact statements to understand what the code is doing. Break it down into multiple small and focused methods with self-explaining names, but make sure the high-level algorithm is still clear.
A method that requires more than 15 statements is simply doing too much or has too many responsibilities. It also requires the human mind to analyze the exact statements to understand what the code is doing. Break it down into multiple small and focused methods with self-explaining names, but make sure the high-level algorithm is still clear.
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@bkoelman bkoelman Mar 29, 2026

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We could additionally mention the concept of different abstraction levels, as described in Clean Code, if it isn't already covered by another rule. What I mean is that each method should have a single level of abstraction.

So not the code below in the same method:

if (IsPremiumCustomer()) // functional; the "what"
{
}

// ...

if (regex.IsMatch(value.ToUpper().Trim().Substring....  // technical; the "how"
{
}


Also ensure that each method operates at a **single level of abstraction**. Mixing high-level functional calls (the "what") with low-level implementation details (the "how") in the same method makes it harder to understand the intent of the code.

```csharp
// Avoid: mixing abstraction levels in the same method
Comment on lines +11 to +12
void ProcessOrder(Order order)
{
if (IsPremiumCustomer(order.CustomerId)) // functional; the "what"
{
ApplyDiscount(order);
}

if (Regex.IsMatch(order.Email.ToUpper().Trim(), @"^[^@]+@[^@]+\.[^@]+$")) // technical; the "how"
{
SendConfirmation(order.Email);
}
}

// Better: extract the technical detail behind an abstraction
void ProcessOrder(Order order)
{
if (IsPremiumCustomer(order.CustomerId))
{
ApplyDiscount(order);
}

if (IsValidEmail(order.Email))
{
SendConfirmation(order.Email);
}
}
```