comments : Java Glossary

comments

There are three types of comment in Java, /**… */, /*… */ and //… end-of-line. If you write a piece of code with a /** Javadoc comment, the convention is the comment belongs to the method or declaration following. When you use a // comment on a line containing code, the comment applies to the code to the left.

However, I am not aware of any universally accepted conventions for: /* and // comments on lines by themselves. Do they belong to the line following or preceding? To be consistent, I suggest the following convention: /* belong to the line following, // belong to the line preceding.

It may be advisable to include a blank line prior to a /* comment (and no blank line after that would separate it from the code it describes), or after a run of // comments (and no blank line prior that would separate it from the code it describes) to further clarify your meaning.

I further suggest using /* comments for big-picture forest level overviews and // comments for line-by-line tree level details.

File Header Comments

Javadoc

	You can get the freshest copy of this page from:	or possibly from your local J: drive (Java virtual drive/mindprod.com website mirror)
	http://mindprod.com/jgloss/comments.html	J:\mindprod\jgloss\comments.html
	Please email your feedback for publication, letters to the editor, errors, omissions, typos, formatting errors, ambiguities, unclear wording, broken/redirected link reports, suggestions to improve this page or comments to Roedy Green : If you want your message kept confidential, not considered for posting, please explicitly specify that.
	Canadian Mind Products
	mindprod.com IP:[65.110.21.43]
view Blog	Your face IP:[38.107.179.212]
Feedback	You are visitor number 16,836.