= \RDoc - Ruby Documentation System

home :: https://github.com/ruby/rdoc
rdoc :: https://ruby.github.io/rdoc
bugs :: https://github.com/ruby/rdoc/issues
code quality :: https://codeclimate.com/github/ruby/rdoc

== Description

RDoc produces HTML and command-line documentation for Ruby projects.  RDoc
includes the +rdoc+ and +ri+ tools for generating and displaying documentation
from the command-line.

== Generating Documentation

Once installed, you can create documentation using the +rdoc+ command

  $ rdoc [options] [names...]

For an up-to-date option summary, type

  $ rdoc --help

A typical use might be to generate documentation for a package of Ruby
source (such as RDoc itself).

  $ rdoc

This command generates documentation for all the Ruby and C source
files in and below the current directory.  These will be stored in a
documentation tree starting in the subdirectory +doc+.

You can make this slightly more useful for your readers by having the
index page contain the documentation for the primary file.  In our
case, we could type

  % rdoc --main README.rdoc

You'll find information on the various formatting tricks you can use
in comment blocks in the documentation this generates.

RDoc uses file extensions to determine how to process each file.  File names
ending +.rb+ and +.rbw+ are assumed to be Ruby source.  Files
ending +.c+ are parsed as C files.  All other files are assumed to
contain just Markup-style markup (with or without leading '#' comment
markers).  If directory names are passed to RDoc, they are scanned
recursively for C and Ruby source files only.

To generate documentation using +rake+ see RDoc::Task[https://ruby.github.io/rdoc/RDoc/Task.html].

To generate documentation programmatically:

  gem 'rdoc'
  require 'rdoc/rdoc'

  options = RDoc::Options.new
  # see RDoc::Options

  rdoc = RDoc::RDoc.new
  rdoc.document options
  # see RDoc::RDoc

== Writing Documentation

To write documentation for RDoc place a comment above the class, module,
method, constant, or attribute you want documented:

  ##
  # This class represents an arbitrary shape by a series of points.

  class Shape

    ##
    # Creates a new shape described by a +polyline+.
    #
    # If the +polyline+ does not end at the same point it started at the
    # first pointed is copied and placed at the end of the line.
    #
    # An ArgumentError is raised if the line crosses itself, but shapes may
    # be concave.

    def initialize polyline
      # ...
    end

  end

The default comment markup format is the RDoc::Markup format.
TomDoc[rdoc-ref:RDoc::TomDoc], Markdown[rdoc-ref:RDoc::Markdown] and
RD[rdoc-ref:RDoc::RD] format comments are also supported.  You can set the
default comment format for your entire project by creating a
<tt>.rdoc_options</tt> file.  See RDoc::Options@Saved+Options for instructions
on creating one.  You can also set the comment format for a single file
through the +:markup:+ directive, but this is only recommended if you wish to
switch markup formats.  See RDoc::Markup@Other+directives.

Comments can contain directives that tell RDoc information that it cannot
otherwise discover through parsing.  See RDoc::Markup@Directives to control
what is or is not documented, to define method arguments or to break up
methods in a class by topic.  See RDoc::Parser::Ruby for directives used to
teach RDoc about metaprogrammed methods.

See RDoc::Parser::C for documenting C extensions with RDoc.

To determine how well your project is documented run <tt>rdoc -C lib</tt> to
get a documentation coverage report.  <tt>rdoc -C1 lib</tt> includes parameter
names in the documentation coverage report.

== Bugs

See CONTRIBUTING@Bugs for information on filing a bug report.  It's OK to file
a bug report for anything you're having a problem with.  If you can't figure
out how to make RDoc produce the output you like that is probably a
documentation bug.

== License

RDoc is Copyright (c) 2001-2003 Dave Thomas, The Pragmatic Programmers.
Portions (c) 2007-2011 Eric Hodel.  Portions copyright others, see individual
files and LEGAL.rdoc for details.

RDoc is free software, and may be redistributed under the terms specified in
LICENSE.rdoc.

== Warranty

This software is provided "as is" and without any express or implied
warranties, including, without limitation, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
