A Comprehensive Guide to JSDoc 📚

JavaScript is a dynamically typed language that lacks built-in type checking and documentation enforcement, which can lead to confusion in larger codebases. JSDoc is a powerful tool that provides a solution to this problem by allowing developers to add structured comments to their code. These comments can be used to describe code functionality, define expected parameter types, and return values, among other things. JSDoc is a documentation standard that is supported by many tools, including VS Code and other IDEs, which use these comments to provide inline documentation and type hints. To get started with JSDoc, no special installation is required, but the JSDoc CLI is needed to generate HTML documentation. JSDoc comments start with / and are placed above the code element being documented, and they can include tags such as @param, @returns, and @type to provide additional information. JSDoc can be used in both JavaScript and TypeScript projects, and it provides many benefits, including improved readability, type safety, and seamless onboarding for new team members. Many tools work with JSDoc, including VS Code, the TypeScript compiler, and the JSDoc CLI, which can generate static documentation. By integrating JSDoc into their workflow, developers can improve the quality, maintainability, and collaboration of their code. Overall, JSDoc is an indispensable tool for any JavaScript developer looking to improve their code and workflow.