⚡ Complexity Analyzer

Real-time time & space complexity analysis for C/C++ functions — powered by GitHub Copilot.

Created by bhaimicrosoft

Features

🔍 Auto-Analysis on Cursor Placement

Simply place your cursor inside any C/C++ function and the extension automatically detects the enclosing function, extracts its full body, and displays a detailed complexity analysis in the sidebar — no manual selection needed.

✏️ Live Updates as You Code

The analysis updates in real-time as you edit your function. Every time you modify the code, the extension re-analyzes the function with a smart debounce (1.2s) so results stay current without flooding requests.

🌳 Recursion Tree Visualization

For recursive functions, the extension goes beyond simple Big-O notation:

• Shows the recurrence relation (e.g., T(n) = 2T(n/2) + O(n))
• Displays the recursion depth
• Renders an ASCII recursion tree with a small example input to help you visualize how calls branch out

Example recursion tree output:

           fib(5)
          /      \
       fib(4)    fib(3)
      /    \      /    \
   fib(3) fib(2) fib(2) fib(1)
   /    \
fib(2) fib(1)

💡 Better Solution Suggestions

If a more optimal algorithm exists for the same problem, the extension will:

• Compare current vs. optimized complexity
• Explain the improved approach
• Provide complete, ready-to-use C++ code with a one-click Copy button

📊 Sidebar Panel

Results appear in a dedicated Complexity Analyzer panel in the activity bar (left sidebar) — no popups or interruptions to your workflow.

How It Works

Analysis Output

For each function, you get:

📊 twoSum

## Time Complexity
- Best Case:    O(1)
- Average Case: O(n)
- Worst Case:   O(n)

## Space Complexity
- Auxiliary Space: O(n)
- Total Space:     O(n)

## Explanation
The function uses a hash map for O(1) lookups...

## Recursion Analysis
(Recursion tree shown for recursive functions)

## Better Solution
(Optimized code shown if a better approach exists)

Requirements

Installation

From VSIX (local)

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P → "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
3. Select the .vsix file
4. Reload VS Code

From Source

cd complexity-analyzer-extension
npm install
npm run compile
# Then press F5 to launch Extension Development Host

Keyboard Shortcuts

Project Structure

complexity-analyzer-extension/
├── media/
│   └── icon.svg           # Activity bar icon
├── src/
│   └── extension.ts       # Main extension code
├── out/                   # Compiled JavaScript output
├── package.json           # Extension manifest
├── tsconfig.json          # TypeScript config
└── README.md

Known Limitations

• Analysis quality depends on the GitHub Copilot language model
• Very large functions may take a few seconds to analyze
• The recursion tree is ASCII-based (text art) for maximum compatibility
• Currently optimized for C and C++ files (.c, .cpp, .h, .hpp)

Release Notes

0.1.0

• Dedicated sidebar panel with activity bar icon
• Auto-analyze function under cursor (no selection needed)
• Live re-analysis on code edits with smart debounce
• Recursion tree visualization for recursive functions
• Better solution suggestions with copyable optimized code
• Improved markdown-to-HTML rendering with styled code blocks
• Copy-to-clipboard button on all code blocks

0.0.2

• Initial release with selection and file analysis commands
• Context menu and keyboard shortcuts

License

MIT

Enjoy analyzing! ⚡