Doc Block Helper
A VSCode extension that makes writing documentation blocks easier by automatically continuing comment blocks and managing indentation.
Features
- Automatically continues documentation comment blocks when you press Enter
- Maintains proper indentation and comment prefixes on new lines
- Intelligently closes doc blocks after consecutive empty lines
- Supports various documentation formats (JSDoc, TSDoc, Swift docs, DoxyGen, JavaDoc, etc.)
- Detects context to generate appropriate documentation templates
- Supports nested indentation and markdown formatting within doc blocks
Installation
You can install this extension through the VSCode Marketplace:
- Open VSCode
- Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
- Search for "Doc Block Helper"
- Click Install
Supported Languages
The extension currently supports the following languages and their documentation styles:
| Language |
Documentation Format |
| JavaScript |
JSDoc (/** ... */) |
| TypeScript |
TSDoc (/** ... */) |
| Swift |
Triple-slash (///) |
| Objective-C |
JavaDoc-style (/** ... */) |
| C/C++ |
DoxyGen (/** ... */ or /// or //!) |
| Java |
JavaDoc (/** ... */) |
| Python |
Docstrings (""" ... """) |
How It Works
When you're inside a documentation block and press Enter:
- First Enter: Continues the block with proper indentation and comment prefix
- Second Empty Enter: Adds another empty line with proper indentation and comment prefix
- Third Empty Enter: Automatically closes the documentation block (for multi-line formats)
Additionally, the extension can detect what you're documenting (function, class, variable) and generate appropriate documentation templates.
Usage Examples
JavaScript/TypeScript (JSDoc/TSDoc)
Start typing:
/**
_
(Where _ is your cursor)
Press Enter, and it becomes:
/**
* _
Type a description and press Enter:
/**
* A function that does something
* _
Press Enter twice without typing, and it automatically closes:
/**
* A function that does something
*/
_
Swift Documentation
Start typing:
///
_
Press Enter, and it continues:
///
/// _
Configuration
This extension can be customized through VSCode settings:
docBlockHelper.useEnhancedDetection: Use token-based detection for documentation blocks (default: true)docBlockHelper.insertIntelligentTemplates: Insert smart templates based on what's being documented (default: true)docBlockHelper.emptyLinesBeforeClosing: Number of empty lines before automatically closing a doc block (default: 2)
Intelligent Templates
When enabled, the extension can detect what you're documenting and insert appropriate templates:
For Functions
/**
* Describes the myFunction function
* @param {*} param1 - Description
* @param {*} param2 - Description
* @returns {*} - Description
*/
function myFunction(param1, param2) {
For Classes
/**
* Represents the MyClass class
*/
class MyClass {
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
- Fork the repository
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
- Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
- Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
- Open a Pull Request
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Acknowledgements
- Inspired by the documentation formatting capabilities of various IDEs
- Built with VSCode Extension API
