Integrations
JavaScript
JSDoc comments

JSDoc comments

Last modified: 16 August 2021

Required plugin: Javascript and TypeScript

The plugin is bundled with AppCode and enabled by default.

AppCode 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 ⏎. JSDoc comments are used for documentation lookup with ⌃ 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.

AppCode 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

Position the caret before the declaration of the method/function or field to document, type the opening block comment /**, and press ⏎.
AppCode 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.
tip
To turn off automatic generation of JSDoc comments, open the Preferences dialog ⌃ ⌥ S, go to Editor | General | Smart Keys, and clear the Insert documentation comment stub checkbox in the Enter area.
Alternatively, use the dedicated Fix Doc Comment action. Position the caret at the method/function or field to document, press ⌃ ⇧ A and start typing Fix Doc Comment. Then select Fix Doc Comment from the list, and press ⏎.

TypeScript syntax in JSDoc comments

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

AppCode provides code completion for TypeScript annotations.

Code completion for TypeScript annotations within JSDoc in a JavaScript file

Based on @type annotations, AppCode shows parameter hints.

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

note
Mixed types are also supported. However, when JSDoc and TypeScript syntax are in contradiction, AppCode uses JSDoc syntax.

View JSDoc comments rendered in the editor

With AppCode, 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.

tip
The Rendered View mode is available both in JavaScript and in TypeScript.

To enter the Rendered View mode, hover the mouse pointer over a comment and click in the gutter or press ⌃ ⌥ Q. The icon turns into .
To quit the Rendered View mode, click in the gutter, or select Toggle Rendered View from the context menu of a JSDoc comment, or press ⌃ ⌥ Q.
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.
If necessary, select Adjust Font Size from the context menu and change the font size using the slider.
To show all JSDoc comments rendered by default, open the Preferences dialog ⌃ ⌥ S, go to Editor | General | Appearance, and select the Render documentation comments checkbox.
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 Preferences | Editor | General | Gutter Icons page that opens.