IntelliJ IDEA 2016.2 Help

Creating Documentation Comments

In this section:

Creating documentation comments for a method or function

To create a documentation comment for a method or function

  1. Place the caret before the declaration.
  2. Type the opening block comment /**, and press Enter.
  3. Add meaningful description of parameters and return values.

Please note the following:

  • IntelliJ IDEA checks syntax in the documentation comments and treats it according to the Error settings.
  • If the entered text contains HTML tags, the closing tag will be automatically added after typing >, provided that this behavior is enabled in the editor settings.
  • When typing in a documentation comment, the caret automatically moves to an expected position. For example:
    javadoc_smart_enter

Creating tags

To create tags in a documentation comment block

  1. In a comment block, select the desired empty line and type @ character.
  2. Press Ctrl+Space, or just wait for Code Completion to display the suggestion list:
    doc_comment_tags
  3. Select a tag from the suggestion list. For example, you can specify the parameters type, or return type.
  4. If a certain tag has several values, press Ctrl+Space after the tag, and select the desired value from the suggestion list. For example, IntelliJ IDEA suggests to select the desired parameter name.
    code_completion_param

Creating and fixing doc comments

Documentation comment can be created with the dedicated action Fix Doc Comment. It can be invoked by means of Find Action command.

Press Ctrl+Shift+A, with the caret somewhere within a class, method, function, or field, which should be documented, and enter the action name Fix Doc String. The missing documentation stub with the corresponding tags is added. For example:

/** * * @param userInput * @return */ static boolean processRepeatConversion (@NotNull String userInput) { boolean repeatConversion = false; if (((userInput.equals("y")) || (userInput.equals("Y")))) { repeatConversion = true; } return repeatConversion; }

The next case lays with fixing problems in the existing documentation comments.

For example, if a method signature has been changed, IntelliJ IDEA highlights a tag that doesn't match the method signature, and suggests a quick fix.

For JavaScript, IntelliJ IDEA suggests an intention action UpdateJSDoc comment. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+A, and type the action name:

fix_doc_comment

Clickable comments

If a documentation comment contains a hyperlink, you can make it clickable.

To do that, do one of the following:

  • Keep the Ctrl key pressed and hover your mouse pointer over the hyperlink:
    clickable_link
  • Press Ctrl+B.

See Also

Last modified: 23 November 2016