IntelliJ IDEA 2023.3 Help

JSDoc comments

IntelliJ IDEA recognizes JSDoc comments and helps you create them by automatically inserting @param, @returns, @private, and other tags when you type the opening block comment /** and press Enter. JSDoc comments are used for documentation lookup with Ctrl+Q in JavaScript and TypeScript, see JavaScript documentation look-up and TypeScript documentation look-up, as well as for type annotations and method return type hints in chained methods.

IntelliJ IDEA also recognizes TODO patterns, Closure Compiler annotations, and TypeScript syntax inside documentation comments and uses them in code completion, intention actions, and other types of coding assistance.

Find a detailed description of the JSDoc syntax with examples in Getting Started with JSDoc and JSDoc supported types.

Create JSDoc comments

  • Place the caret before the declaration of the method/function or field to document, type the opening block comment /**, and press Enter.

    IntelliJ IDEA generates a JSDoc comment with a list of parameters (@param) and return values (@returns), where applicable. Describe the listed parameters, return values, and so on.

    Generate jsdoc comment
  • Alternatively, use the dedicated Fix Doc Comment action. Place the caret at the method/function or field to document, press Ctrl+Shift+A and start typing Fix Doc Comment. Then select Fix Doc Comment from the list, and press Enter.

TypeScript syntax in JSDoc comments

You can use TypeScript annotations, for example, @type or @typedef, within JSDoc comments in JavaScript files. IntelliJ IDEA recognizes TypeScript syntax constructs, for example, union types or optional properties in @typedef declarations.

IntelliJ IDEA provides code completion for TypeScript annotations.

Code completion for TypeScript annotations within JSDoc in a JavaScript file

Based on @type annotations, IntelliJ IDEA shows parameter hints.

Parameter hints are shown based on type annotations within JSDoc in a JavaScript file

View JSDoc comments rendered in the editor

With IntelliJ IDEA, JSDoc comments can be shown in an easier-to-read format. In this Rendered View mode, items are shown grouped by their @ tags, while the tags themselves are skipped. You can open the referenced web pages, view quick documentation for the referenced topics, and adjust the font size for better readability.

Rendered View for JSDoc comments
  • To enter the Rendered View mode, hover over a comment and click the Toggle Rendered View icon in the gutter or press Ctrl+Alt+Q. The icon turns into the Toggle Rendered View icon.

    Turn on the Rendered View mode
  • To quit the Rendered View mode, click the Toggle Rendered View icon in the gutter, or select Toggle Rendered View from the context menu of a JSDoc comment, or press Ctrl+Alt+Q.

    Turn the Rendered View mode off
  • To turn on the Rendered View mode for all JSDoc comments in the current file, select Render All Doc Comments from the context menu in the gutter.

    Render all comments in the current file
  • If necessary, select Adjust Font Size from the context menu and change the font size using the slider.

    Adjust font size
  • To show all JSDoc comments rendered by default, open the Settings dialog (Ctrl+Alt+S) , go to Editor | General | Appearance, and select the Render documentation comments checkbox.

    Turn on Rendered JSDoc comments by default
  • To hide the Rendered View gutter icons, select Configure Gutter Icons from the context menu in the gutter and then clear the Documentation comments in-place rendering checkbox on the Settings | Editor | General | Gutter Icons page that opens.

Last modified: 15 March 2024