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Chapter 8, Comments and Documentation
#68 Master C# XML Comments
HACK
The hacks in this chapter will cover how to get the most out of XML com-
ments, how to create comments faster using an add-in, how to create docu-
mentation from your comments, how to use XML comments with VB.NET,
and how to integrate your own documentation into Visual Studio.
HACK
#68
Master C# XML Comments Hack #68
Comment your code with a sprinkling of XML, and give IntelliSense and
documentation tools plenty of grist for their mills.
XML comments are a compelling addition to any project. Using XML com-
ments, you can document all of your public classes, methods, and enumera-
tions while you program. The basics of XML comments are very simple—
precede your comments with
///, and Visual Studio will add a basic sum-
mary and an element for each of the parameters on your method. You can
then enter the summary and parameter descriptions. But there is much more
to XML comments; there are 20 different tags that can be used in XML com-
ments. In this hack, you are going to learn how to use all of these tags to cre-
ate better documentation.
To insert XML comments, simply type
/// on a line preceding a class, inter-
face, method, field, or property declaration. As soon as you type these char-
acters, IntelliSense will give you a skeletal XML comment with an empty
<summary> element:
/// <summary>
///
/// </summary>
public void Foo( )
Technically ...