Questions tagged [documentation]

THIS TAG IS FOR DOCUMENT GENERATORS ONLY. Include language and/or SDE tag as well. DO NOT USE to ask for links to documentation or tools, or to critique vendor documentation.

Use the documentation tag for questions related to self-documenting code and documentation generators.

Basic definitions

Software documentation is written text or illustration that accompanies computer software or is embedded in the source code. It either explains how it operates or how to use it, and may mean different things to people in different roles.^Wikipedia
A documentation generator is a programming tool that generates software documentation intended for programmers or end users, or both, from a set of specially commented source code files, and in some cases, binary files.^Wikipedia

Related tags

Possible synonyms:

document-generation - Synonymous with documentation
code-documentation - Documentation within code to explain its function and use.
manual - as in "User's Manual"

Substitute these more specific tags for documentation where possible:

javadoc - Documentation generation tool for java.
doxygen - Multi-language documentation generation tool.
python-sphinx - Tool for python documentation generation, adaptable to other languages.
jsdoc, jsdoc3 - Documentation generation tools for javascript.
rd, roxygen2 - Documentation generation tools for r.
xml-documentation - XML documentation tagging for c#.
springfox - A suite of java libraries for automating the generation of machine and human readable specifications for JSON APIs written using the spring framework.
yard - Documentation generation tool for ruby.
haddock - Documentation generation tool for haskell.
phpdocumentor2 - Documentation generation tool for php.
rustdoc - Documentation generation tool for rust.
kotlin-dokka - Documentation generation tool for kotlin.

"Documentation" topics on other SE sites

Questions about how documentation fits within the software development process are off-topic on StackOverflow, but are on-topic on Software Engineering.

Writing Stack Exchange has tags for Technical Writing, API Documentation and Software Tools, with a focus on the craft of professional writing.

Useful links

Getting started? See: Google - How to write user documentation.
Looking for a tool? See: Wikipedia - Comparison of Documentation Generators.
Wondering about recommended styles? See: Google - Style guides.

Off-Topic Questions

Remember that the following types of questions are off-topic, and subject to being closed and deleted:

Where is the documentation for... ?
What is the best way to document... ?
Is there a tool to help document... ?
Is this documentation correct?

4700 questions

votes

8 answers

Where are the man pages for C++?

Does documentation for C++ exist in Linux? I want something like the man pages of C. For example, docs for string, stl, iostream, ifstream, etc.?

c++ linux documentation manpage

asked Mar 14 '11 at 01:07

fpointbin

1,633
3
16
20

votes

5 answers

Compare and contrast the lightweight markup languages

Please identify the most popular lightweight markup languages and compare their strengths and weaknesses. These languages should be general-purpose markup for technical prose, such as for documentation (for example, Haml doesn't count). See also:…

documentation markdown markup restructuredtext textile

asked Mar 18 '09 at 17:10

JasonSmith

72,674
22
123
149

votes

7 answers

Best way to document anonymous objects and functions with jsdoc

Edit: This is technically a 2 part question. I've chosen the best answer that covers the question in general and linked to the answer that handles the specific question. What is the best way to document anonymous objects and functions with…

javascript documentation tags jsdoc

asked Jul 03 '10 at 12:18

Josh Johnson

10,729
12
60
83

votes

4 answers

How do I create documentation with Pydoc?

I'm trying to create a document out of my module. I used pydoc from the command-line in Windows 7 using Python 3.2.3: python "\pydoc.py" -w myModule This led to my shell being filled with text, one line for each file in my module,…

python documentation python-3.x documentation-generation pydoc

asked Oct 23 '12 at 23:02

user1632861

votes

6 answers

Create html documentation for C# code

I'm currently working on a C# project and VisualAssist generates these fancy ///

comments for me and I've been using them do document my code. I assume there must be a way to use these comments to create HTML documentation like…

c# visual-studio documentation

asked Mar 09 '13 at 21:59

jaho

4,852
6
40
66

votes

3 answers

Node.js request object documentation?

This is a pretty straight forward question, but I haven't found anything on Google. I'm looking for documentation on the request parameter in Node.js's create server function, but I haven't been able to find…

node.js documentation request

asked Jun 22 '13 at 14:00

Benjamin Collins

1,044
2
9
23

votes

5 answers

Documentation for using JavaScript code inside a PDF file

Where can I find documentation on running JavaScript code inside a PDF? I've never added a JavaScript action inside a PDF document. However, I've done quite a bit of web development using JavaScript. I have a few questions to whoever has any…

javascript pdf documentation acrobat pdf-manipulation

asked Feb 09 '12 at 22:26

Sam

26,946
12
75
101

votes

6 answers

How do I document a module in Python?

That's it. If you want to document a function or a class, you put a string just after the definition. For instance: def foo(): """This function does nothing.""" pass But what about a module? How can I document what a file.py does?

python documentation python-module

asked Sep 04 '08 at 16:06

Auron

13,626
15
47
54

votes

4 answers

Python Docstring: raise vs. raises

I use the PyCharm IDE which assists with crafting PEP0257-compliant docstrings. It provides two attributes I don't entirely understand the distinction/use between: :raise Exception: exception explanation here :raises Exception: exception…

python documentation docstring

asked Dec 08 '15 at 16:25

Bob Dylan

1,773
2
16
27

votes

6 answers

Android offline documentation and sample codes

I am not able to find the offline docs for android. Can someone provide a link?

android documentation offline

asked May 24 '10 at 15:22

Nullpoet

10,949
20
48
65

votes

12 answers

Are there some good and modern alternatives to Javadoc?

Let's face it: You don't need to be a designer to see that default Javadoc looks ugly. There are some resources on the web which offer re-styled Javadoc. But the default behaviour represents the product and should be as reasonably…

java documentation javadoc

asked Jun 22 '09 at 10:55

ivan_ivanovich_ivanoff

19,113
27
81
100

votes

4 answers

What parameters are required to create an "Add to Google Calendar" link?

We can use this link to add a new event to Google Calendar by…

calendar documentation google-calendar-api document

asked Mar 31 '14 at 09:22

Huei Tan

2,237
3
23
34

votes

7 answers

Programmatically get Summary comments at runtime

I'm looking for a way to programmatically get the summary portion of Xml-comments of a method in ASP.net. I have looked at the previous related posts and they do not supply a way of doing so in a web environment. I can not use any 3rd party apps…

c# asp.net reflection documentation

asked Mar 24 '13 at 18:57

Riaan Walters

2,587
2
18
30

votes

6 answers

JSDoc adding real code in documentation

Do you know if there is some sort of

 tag in JSDoc? I need to add pieces of code in my documentation like this:
/**
 * This function does something see example below:
 *
 * var x = foo("test"); //it will show "test" message
 *
 * @param…


        
            
                
                javascript 
                
                documentation 
                
                jsdoc 
                
            
            
                
                    

    asked Jun 02 '10 at 20:21
    
        
    
    
        Marco Demaio
        
            33,578
            33
            128
            159


                
                    
                    
    
        
            
                
                    77
                    votes
                
            

            
                4 answers
            
        
    
    
        
        iOS Private API Documentation
        Is there a web site or project documenting private APIs for the iPhone SDK?

        
            
                
                iphone 
                
                api 
                
                ios4 
                
                documentation 
                
                iphone-privateapi 
                
            
            
                
                    

    asked Jul 19 '09 at 17:19
    
        
    
    
        Richard Stelling
        
            25,607
            27
            108
            188
        
    


                
            
        
    

                    
                

                

    
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