This metric calculates the number of namespaces that are imported with the using directive. Files that have a large number of using directives can be brittle as they may have to be changed if any of their dependencies are changed. It is not uncommon that a file with a high number of outgoing dependencies lacks cohesion because small parts of it rely on small parts of other classes.

It might be possible to improve the structure of the program by splitting files with a high number of using directives into multiple files and classes.

  • Robert Cecil Martin. Agile Software Development: Principles, Patterns and Practices. Pearson Education. 2002.