student:java:javadoc [JMU CS Wiki]

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===== The Java Documentation Generator (javadoc) =====



==== Overview ====

''%%javadoc%%'' is a tool that creates HTML pages (often called "java docs") from documentation included in Java source files.

''%%javadoc%%'' looks for specially-formatted block comments     (that start with ''%%/**%%'' and end with ''%%*/%%'')     for information to include in the HTML pages it creates.     These comments include a main description followed by one or more     //tags//.


==== Tags for Constructors and Methods ====


The most frequently-used tags for constructors and methods are:


  * @author  //text//
  * @deprecated  //text//
  * @param  //name////text//
  * @return  //text//
  * @since   //text//
  * @throws  //class////text//

Below is an annotated example of a method that contains ''%%javadoc%%''-formatted comments:

{{javadocs.gif}}

==== Tags for Classes and Interfaces ====

The most frequently-used tags for classes and interfaces are:

  * @author //text//
  * @deprecated //text//
  * @since //text//
  * @version  //text//

==== An Example ====


Below is a descriptive example of a class that contains ''%%javadoc%%''-formatted comments:

<code java>
/**
 * This is where the description of the class goes.  
 * You can include HTML tags if you would like.
 *
 * @author      Author's name
 * @version     Version number
 */
public class ClassName
{
    /**
     * This is where the description of the method goes.
     *
     * @param param1    Description of the first parameter
     * @param param2    Description of the second parameter
     * @return          Description of what is returned
     */
     public ReturnType methodName(Type1 param1, Type2 param2)
    {

    }
}
</code>


==== Executing the Tool ====


The ''%%javadoc%%'' tool can be executed at the command line. It has the following syntax:


|   javadoc [//options//] [//packages//] [//files//]   |

For example:

''%%javadoc Calculator.java Controller.java%%''

will create the HTML pages for the source files named ''%%Calculator.java%%'' and ''%%Controller.java%%''.

Many integrated development environments also have the capability of running the ''%%javadoc%%'' tool, including [[student:eclipse:help#creating_html_documentation|Eclipse]].

Note that the ''%%javadoc%%'' tool generates a large number of     "supporting" files even if you only generate documentation for a     single class.  The file ''%%index.html%%'' is the "main" page.


==== Troubleshooting ====

If you're style-checker gives you a message like ''%%@param tag must be preceeded by a blank line%%'',  it probably means that there is extra whitespace on the line the line containing the ''%%@param%%'' tag. Delete anything (even if you can't see it) that is after the asterisk on the "blank" line.



==== For More Information ====


The ''%%javadoc%%'' tool is very powerful and has a number of     capabilities that are not discussed here. For more information, see:

  * [[ http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/tools/windows/javadoc.html | Using the javadoc Tool ]]
  * [[ http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/articles/java/index-137868.html | Writing Comments for the javadoc Tool ]]
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