Learning Java

Comments

Java supports both C-style block comments delimited by /* and */ and C++ - style line comments indicated by //:

/*  This is a  
        multiline  
            comment.    */  
  
// This is a single-line comment  
// and so // is this

As in C, block comments can’t be nested. Single-line comments are delimited by the end of a line; extra // indicators inside a single line have no effect. Line comments are useful for short comments within methods; they don’t conflict with wrapping block comment indicators around large chunks of code during development.

Javadoc Comments

By convention, a block comment beginning with /** indicates a special doc comment . A doc comment is designed to be extracted by automated documentation generators, such as the DSK’s javadoc program. A doc comment is terminated by the next */, just as with a regular block comment. Leading spacing up to a * on each line is ignored; lines beginning with @ are interpreted as special tags for the documentation generator.

Here’s an example:

/**  
 * I think this class is possibly the most amazing thing you will  
 * ever see. Let me tell you about my own personal vision and 
 * motivation in creating it.  
 * <p>  
 * It all began when I was a small child, growing up on the  
 * streets of Idaho. Potatoes were the rage, and life was good...  
 *  
 * @see PotatoPeeler  
 * @see PotatoMasher  
 * @author John 'Spuds' Smith  
 * @version 1.00, 19 Dec 1996  
 */

javadoc creates HTML format documentation of classes by reading the source code and the embedded comments. The author and ...