{{short description|Documentation generator for Java}}
{{how-to|date=August 2023}}
'''Javadoc''' is aan [[Application programming interface|API]] [[documentation generator]] for the [[Java (programming language)|Java programming language]]. ItBased generateson information in Java [[Applicationsource programming interface|APIcode]], Javadoc generates documentation informatted as [[HTML]] formatand fromvia source[[Plug-in code(computing)|extensions]], other formats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://agile.csc.ncsu.edu/SEMaterials/tutorials/javadoc/ |title=Javadoc |website=agile.csc.ncsu.edu |access-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613233020/http://agile.csc.ncsu.edu/SEMaterials/tutorials/javadoc/ |archive-date=13 June 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ItJavadoc was created by [[Sun Microsystems]] and is owned by [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] today.
The Javadoccontent commentand formatformatting of a resulting document are controlled via special [[Markup language|markup]] in source code [[Comment (computer programming)|comments]]. As this markup is [[de facto standard]] and ubiquitous for documenting Java code,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/solaris/javadoc.html|title = javadoc - The Java API Documentation Generator|access-date = 2011-09-30|publisher = [[Sun Microsystems]]}}.</ref> ismany [[Integrated Development Environment|IDE]]s extract and display the deJavadoc factoinformation standardwhile forviewing documentingthe Javasource classescode; often via hover over an associated symbol. Some IDEs, like [[IntegratedIntelliJ DevelopmentIDEA]], Environment[[NetBeans]] and [[Eclipse (software)|IDEEclipse]]s, support generating Javadoc template comment blocks.<ref>[https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/ IntelliJ IDEA], [http://www.netbeans-blog.org/netbeans-ide/generating-javadoc-for-a-project-in-netbeans-ide.html NetBeans] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405230224/http://www.netbeans-blog.org/netbeans-ide/generating-javadoc-for-a-project-in-netbeans-ide.html |date=2017-04-05 }} and [http://www.eclipse.org/ Eclipse]</ref> like [[IntelliJ IDEA]], [[NetBeans]] and [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]], automatically generate Javadoc templates. Many file editors assist the user in producing Javadoc source and show the Javadoc info (via hover over an associated symbol for example) to assist with programming.
Javadoc also provides an API for creating [[doclets]] and taglets, which allows users to analyze the structure of a Java application. This is how JDiff can generate reports of what changed between two versions of an API.
