Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:08:01 -0700
6944312: Potential rebranding issues in openjdk/langtools repository sources
Reviewed-by: darcy
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2 <head>
3 <TITLE>Doclet API Package</TITLE>
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32 The Doclet API (also called the Javadoc API) provides a mechanism
33 for clients to inspect the source-level structure of programs and
34 libraries, including javadoc comments embedded in the source.
35 This is useful for documentation, program checking, automatic
36 code generation and many other tools.
37 <p>
39 Doclets are invoked by javadoc and use this API to write out
40 program information to files. For example, the standard doclet is called
41 by default and writes out documentation to HTML files.
42 <p>
44 The invocation is defined by the abstract {@link com.sun.javadoc.Doclet} class
45 -- the entry point is the {@link com.sun.javadoc.Doclet#start(RootDoc) start} method:
46 <pre>
47 public static boolean <b>start</b>(RootDoc root)
48 </pre>
49 The {@link com.sun.javadoc.RootDoc} instance holds the root of the program structure
50 information. From this root all other program structure
51 information can be extracted.
52 <p>
54 <a name="terminology"></a>
55 <h3>Terminology</h3>
57 <a name="included"></a>
58 When calling javadoc, you pass in package names and source file names --
59 these are called the <em>specified</em> packages and classes.
60 You also pass in Javadoc options; the <em>access control</em> Javadoc options
61 (<code>-public</code>, <code>-protected</code>, <code>-package</code>,
62 and <code>-private</code>) filter program elements, producing a
63 result set, called the <em>included</em> set, or "documented" set.
64 (The unfiltered set is also available through
65 {@link com.sun.javadoc.PackageDoc#allClasses(boolean) allClasses(false)}.)
66 <p>
68 <a name="class"></a>
69 Throughout this API, the term <em>class</em> is normally a
70 shorthand for "class or interface", as in: {@link com.sun.javadoc.ClassDoc},
71 {@link com.sun.javadoc.PackageDoc#allClasses() allClasses()}, and
72 {@link com.sun.javadoc.PackageDoc#findClass(String) findClass(String)}.
73 In only a couple of other places, it means "class, as opposed to interface",
74 as in: {@link com.sun.javadoc.Doc#isClass()}.
75 In the second sense, this API calls out four kinds of classes:
76 {@linkplain com.sun.javadoc.Doc#isOrdinaryClass() ordinary classes},
77 {@linkplain com.sun.javadoc.Doc#isEnum() enums},
78 {@linkplain com.sun.javadoc.Doc#isError() errors} and
79 {@linkplain com.sun.javadoc.Doc#isException() exceptions}.
80 Throughout the API, the detailed description of each program element
81 describes explicitly which meaning is being used.
82 <p>
84 <a name="qualified"></a>
85 A <em>qualified</em> class or interface name is one that has its package
86 name prepended to it, such as <code>java.lang.String</code>. A non-qualified
87 name has no package name, such as <code>String</code>.
88 <p>
90 <a name="example"></a>
91 <h3>Example</h3>
93 The following is an example doclet that
94 displays information in the <code>@param</code> tags of the processed
95 classes:
96 <pre>
97 import com.sun.javadoc.*;
99 public class ListParams extends <font color=red title="Doclet API">Doclet</font> {
101 public static boolean start(<font color=red title="Doclet API">RootDoc</font> root) {
102 <font color=red title="Doclet API">ClassDoc</font>[] classes = root.<font color=red title="Doclet API">classes</font>();
103 for (int i = 0; i < classes.length; ++i) {
104 <font color=red title="Doclet API">ClassDoc</font> cd = classes[i];
105 printMembers(cd.<font color=red title="Doclet API">constructors</font>());
106 printMembers(cd.<font color=red title="Doclet API">methods</font>());
107 }
108 return true;
109 }
111 static void printMembers(<font color=red title="Doclet API">ExecutableMemberDoc</font>[] mems) {
112 for (int i = 0; i < mems.length; ++i) {
113 <font color=red title="Doclet API">ParamTag</font>[] params = mems[i].<font color=red title="Doclet API">paramTags</font>();
114 System.out.println(mems[i].<font color=red title="Doclet API">qualifiedName</font>());
115 for (int j = 0; j < params.length; ++j) {
116 System.out.println(" " + params[j].<font color=red title="Doclet API">parameterName</font>()
117 + " - " + params[j].<font color=red title="Doclet API">parameterComment</font>());
118 }
119 }
120 }
121 }
122 </pre>
123 Interfaces and methods from the Javadoc API are marked in
124 <font color=red title="Doclet API">red</font>.
125 {@link com.sun.javadoc.Doclet Doclet} is an abstract class that specifies
126 the invocation interface for doclets,
127 {@link com.sun.javadoc.Doclet Doclet} holds class or interface information,
128 {@link com.sun.javadoc.ExecutableMemberDoc} is a
129 superinterface of {@link com.sun.javadoc.MethodDoc} and
130 {@link com.sun.javadoc.ConstructorDoc},
131 and {@link com.sun.javadoc.ParamTag} holds information
132 from "<code>@param</code>" tags.
133 <p>
134 This doclet when invoked with a command line like:
135 <pre>
136 javadoc -doclet ListParams -sourcepath <source-location> java.util
137 </pre>
138 producing output like:
139 <pre>
140 ...
141 java.util.ArrayList.add
142 index - index at which the specified element is to be inserted.
143 element - element to be inserted.
144 java.util.ArrayList.remove
145 index - the index of the element to removed.
146 ...
148 </pre>
149 @see com.sun.javadoc.Doclet
150 @see com.sun.javadoc.RootDoc
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