Most common docblock for Delphi and/or FreePascal code

I'm quite familiar with PHP dockblocks since it's been my job for the last 15+ years.

/**
  * Description
  *
  * @tag bla bla
  * @tag more bla bla
  */

What I'm trying to understand is if there is a standard like that for Delphi and/or FreePascal.

From my analysis on an awful lot of code I never seen any, but I could be dead wrong.

From stackoverflow

• It looks like doxygen has a tool which can be used in conjunction to document Pascal and Delphi code. Maybe that will help you.

  mjustin : +1 I use doxygen and pas2dox in all my commercial Delphi / Free Pascal libraries, commenting in JavaDoc style works like a charm

• Latest Delphis support parsing of XML documentation. They also use this information in hints (for example if you move the mouse cursor over a method name).

  I'm using this template for method documentation:

  ///<summary></summary>
  ///<param name=''></param>
  ///<returns></returns>
  ///<exception cref=""></exception>
  ///<since>2009-04-15</since>
  

  Gustavo Carreno : @gabr: Could you include the link for the complete syntax on that please?

  gabr : Sorry, I don't have any.

  Gustavo Carreno : @gabr: could you at least give use your own memory's neurons mapping ? ;)

  gabr : I'm only using the tags mentioned above plus and in unit header.

• On a project I'm currently working on, we're using DelphiCodeToDoc, which works reasonably well. Its syntax looks like this:

  type
    {* This is an example class }
    TMyClass = class
    private
    protected
    public
      {* Does some twiddling with AParam, and returns the result as String
         @param AParam Input value
         @return AParam incremented by 2, as String
         @throws Exception 'Boo' if it's full moon }
      function MyFunction(AParam: Integer): String;
    end;
  

  Gustavo Carreno : I know this is just an example and I'm nit-picking, but a procedure does not return values right? ;)

  onnodb : Lol :D Yeah, of course you're completely right. Corrected my answer.

• Delphi documentation tools

  Using the XMLDoc tool for API documentation and HelpInsight with Delphi 2005   http://edn.embarcadero.com/article/32770

  XML Documentation in Delphi 2006   http://tondrej.blogspot.com/2006/03/xml-documentation-in-delphi-2006.html

  DelphiCodeToDoc   http://dephicodetodoc.sourceforge.net/

  Doc-O-Matic   http://www.doc-o-matic.com/examplesourcecode.html

  PasDoc   http://pasdoc.sipsolutions.net/

  Pascal Browser   http://www.peganza.com/

  Doxygen   http://www.stack.nl/~dimitri/doxygen/

  Pas2Dox   http://sourceforge.net/projects/pas2dox/

  JADD - Just Another DelphiDoc   http://delphidoc.sourceforge.net/

  Stackoverflow discussion

  Is there a Delphi code documentor that supports current Delphi syntax?   http://stackoverflow.com/questions/673248/is-there-a-delphi-code-documentor-that-supports-current-delphi-syntax

  Code documentation for delphi similar to javadoc or c# xml doc   http://stackoverflow.com/questions/236047/code-documentation-for-delphi-similar-to-javadoc-or-c-xml-doc

  Documenting Delphi   http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33336/documenting-delphi

• There are several standards, usually depending on the documentation tool being used. We use PasDoc, so we adhere mostly to its format http://pasdoc.sipsolutions.net/ which is based on JavaDoc.

  Alternatively, there is XMLDoc as gabr pointed out and there are quite a few other tools, most having similar syntax with subtle differences.

• I prefer docs outside of the source (it always gets messy), and use the excellent fpdoc that comes with FPC. (FPC's own docs are written in it).