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JSDoc Cheatsheet

A quick reference guide for JSDoc, the industry standard for documenting JavaScript code. This cheatsheet provides syntax and examples for documenting functions, variables, types, and more.

Function Documentation

Basic Function Documentation

Use JSDoc comments /** ... */ to document your functions.

 
/**
 * Description of the function.
 * @param {Type} paramName - Description of the parameter.
 * @returns {Type} Description of the return value.
 */
function myFunction(paramName) {
  // Function body
}

Example:

/**
 * Adds two numbers together.
 * @param {number} x - The first number.
 * @param {number} y - The second number.
 * @returns {number} The sum of x and y.
 */
function add(x, y) {
  return x + y;
}

Optional Parameters

@param {string=} name or @param {string} [name]

An optional parameter of type string.

@param {number} [age=18]

An optional parameter of type number with a default value of 18.

Parameter Types

@param {string} name

A parameter of type string.

@param {number} age

A parameter of type number.

@param {boolean} isValid

A parameter of type boolean.

@param {object} options

A parameter of type object.

@param {Array<string>} names

A parameter that is an array of strings.

Type Definitions & Variables

Type Definitions (@typedef)

Use @typedef to define custom types for complex objects.

 
/**
 * Represents a point in 2D space.
 * @typedef {object} Point
 * @property {number} x - The x coordinate.
 * @property {number} y - The y coordinate.
 */

/**
 * Moves the point to a new location.
 * @param {Point} newPoint - The new coordinates.
 */
function movePoint(newPoint) {
  // Implementation
}

Shorthand Syntax:

/**
 * @typedef {{name: string, age: number}} Person
 */

/**
 * Greets a person.
 * @param {Person} person - The person to greet.
 */
function greet(person) {
  // Implementation
}

Documenting Variables

@type {number}

Specifies the type of a variable.

@const {string}

Specifies the type of a constant variable.

 
/**
 * @type {string}
 */
var message = 'Hello';

/**
 * @const {number}
 */
const PI = 3.14;

Examples of documenting variables with @type and @const.

Importing Types

You can import types from other modules using the @typedef and @import tags. (Note: @import may be TypeScript-specific).

 
/**
 * @typedef {import('./module').MyType} MyType
 */

/**
 * @param {MyType} value - A value of the imported type.
 */
function processValue(value) {
  // Implementation
}

Advanced JSDoc Tags

Other Useful Tags

@throws {Error}

Documents that a function may throw an error.

@async

Indicates that a function is asynchronous.

@private

Marks a property or method as private.

@deprecated

Indicates that a function or property is deprecated.

@see

References another function, class, or external resource.

@function or @method

Explicitly defines a function or method.

Code Examples with @example

Use the @example tag to provide usage examples for your functions or classes.

 
/**
 * Converts a string to uppercase.
 *
 * @param {string} str - The string to convert.
 * @returns {string} The uppercase string.
 *
 * @example
 * toUpperCase('hello'); // returns 'HELLO'
 */
function toUpperCase(str) {
  return str.toUpperCase();
}

Linking to Other Documentation

You can create links to other parts of your documentation using the {@link} tag.

 
/**
 * A {@link Point} represents a coordinate in 2D space.
 *
 * @param {Point} point - The point to process.
 */
function processPoint(point) {
  // Implementation
}

Class and Namespace Documentation

Class Documentation

Use the @class tag to document JavaScript classes.

 
/**
 * Represents a circle.
 * @class
 */
class Circle {
  /**
   * Creates a new Circle.
   * @param {number} radius - The radius of the circle.
   */
  constructor(radius) {
    this.radius = radius;
  }

  /**
   * Calculates the area of the circle.
   * @returns {number} The area of the circle.
   */
  area() {
    return Math.PI * this.radius * this.radius;
  }
}

Namespace Documentation

Use the @namespace tag to group related functions and classes.

 
/**
 * @namespace Geometry
 */
var Geometry = {};

/**
 * Calculates the distance between two points.
 * @param {Point} p1 - The first point.
 * @param {Point} p2 - The second point.
 * @returns {number} The distance between the points.
 */
Geometry.distance = function(p1, p2) {
  // Implementation
};

Renaming with @alias

Use the @alias tag to rename a symbol. Prefer @alias over @name.

 
/**
 * @alias MyModule.myFunction
 */
function realFunctionName() {
  // Implementation
}