Tags

Tags a way of specifying special info on javadoc comments. Javadoc comments are standard java comments that begin the /** instead of just /*.

Using javadoc comments is a very nice way of specifing configuration or metadata to the classes. One of the advantages of using this is that all information is kept on the same place. Another important advantage is that keeping clas documetation (normal javadoc) and configuration in the same place makes it easier to document it. A doclet can be used to understand these special javadoc tags and make them look better on the javadoc documentation, or just almost anything.

A simple example of a javadoc tag is this:

/**
 * @author Miguel Griffa
 * @code value="53"
public class Tree {
}
The standard javadoc auhor tag is present, the @code tag may be used by a template, which would also use the value in 53 to write some java method, or configuration file, or even a piece of documentation.