ek9_query_flow

Answers first: status, branchCount, loopCount, guardCount, deadBranchCount, then method{name, fullyQualifiedName, signature, declaredAt}, isPure, metrics (cyclomatic/cognitive), flowNodes (the guard-tracked branch/loop tree) and deepAnalysis (provably dead branches, redundant tri-state checks).

Category: Enquiry · Compare: Code Inspection / Control Flow Analyzer (IntelliJ)

When to use it

'How does this method or function flow inside - branches, loops, guards, dead code, complexity' is one call with symbol:'Type.method' - no file or line needed.

When not to use it

method-to-method call relationships, who calls it or what it calls (use ek9_query_call_graph)
a body that is a stream pipeline and you want stage-level analysis (use ek9_query_pipeline)
just complexity numbers across MANY methods workspace-wide (use ek9_query_complexity)
the structural outline of a class/record, not the flow of a body (use ek9_query_construct)

Details

Uses on-demand IR generation: flow is available after PRE_IR_CHECKS (Phase 5), no full IR_GENERATION compile needed — fast and usable mid-edit. metrics{cyclomaticComplexity, cognitiveComplexity, lineCount, maxNestingDepth, branchCount, loopCount, guardCount}; flowNodes[] (the IF_ELSE_IF/WHILE_LOOP/SWITCH/TRY_CATCH_FINALLY/FOR_RANGE/… tree with depth/children/per-node guard); guards[] {introducedAt, guarantee}; deepAnalysis {deadBranches — PROVABLY unreachable, redundantChecks — tri-state checks the compiler already proved, guaranteedVariables}. Missing source, no IR construct, or failed IR generation returns status:'not-found' with a note; a line not on a specific method falls back to the construct's best default operation, so anchor precisely (symbol:'Type.method' does); cyclomatic>10, cognitive>15 or non-empty overlays flag refactor candidates for ek9_extract_method / ek9_remove_statements / ek9_apply_guard_pattern.

Arguments

Argument	Type	What it is
`file`	string	The EK9 source file - OPTIONAL when symbol is a construct name; required to anchor on a member or a use site.
`line`	integer	1-based line anywhere inside the method/function or on its declaration - OMIT it and pass symbol:'Type.method' to let the tool find the line (a model counting lines miscounts).
`symbol`	string	A construct NAME alone ('Shape', 'sample.deps.core::Validator') - no file needed, the tool finds it workspace-wide; or, with file (+ line), the identifier you mean there.

Recorded calls

Real calls, recorded against small projects and checked on every build - a changed answer fails it.

Flow shape

Request

{
  "file" : "Hello.ek9",
  "line" : 6
}

Response

{
  "branchCount" : 0,
  "deadBranchCount" : 0,
  "deepAnalysis" : {
    "deadBranches" : [ ],
    "guaranteedVariables" : [ ],
    "redundantChecks" : [ ]
  },
  "flowNodes" : [ ],
  "guardCount" : 0,
  "guards" : [ ],
  "inConstruct" : "Main",
  "inConstructFqn" : "com.example.hello::Main",
  "isPure" : false,
  "loopCount" : 0,
  "meta" : {
    "serverMs" : "<timing>"
  },
  "method" : {
    "declaredAt" : {
      "file" : "Hello.ek9",
      "line" : 5
    },
    "fullyQualifiedName" : "com.example.hello::Main",
...

Cut short here: 16 more lines. The whole recorded call.