A Node.js CLI and equivalent JS API to analyze source JSDoc and generate documentation under a given heading in a markdown file (such as readme.md).
To install with npm, run:
npm install jsdoc-md --save-devThen, use either the CLI command jsdoc-md or the JS API function jsdocMd to generate documentation.
Analyzes JSDoc from source files nested in the current working directory to populate a markdown file documentation section. Source files are excluded via .gitignore files. If the optional peer dependency prettier is installed, the new markdown file contents is Prettier formatted.
It implements the function jsdocMd.
| Argument | Alias | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--source-glob |
-s |
**/*.{mjs,cjs,js} |
JSDoc source file glob pattern. |
--markdown-path |
-m |
readme.md |
Path to the markdown file for docs insertion. |
--target-heading |
-t |
API |
Markdown file heading to insert docs under. |
--check |
-c |
Should an error be thrown instead of updating the markdown file if the contents would change; useful for checking docs are up to date in CI. |
Using npx.
With defaults:
npx jsdoc-mdWith arguments:
npx jsdoc-md --source-glob **/*.{mjs,cjs,js} --markdown-path readme.md --target-heading API
Using package scripts.
package.jsonscripts for a project that also useseslintandprettier:{ "scripts": { "docs-update": "jsdoc-md", "docs-check": "jsdoc-md -c", "eslint": "eslint .", "prettier": "prettier -c .", "test": "npm run eslint && npm run prettier && npm run docs-check", "prepublishOnly": "npm test" } }Run the
prettierscript beforedocs-checkin thetestscript soprettierreports formatting errors instead ofjsdoc-md.Whenever the source JSDoc changes, run the
docs-updatescript:npm run docs-update
Analyzes JSDoc from source files to populate a markdown file documentation section. Source files are excluded via .gitignore files. If the optional peer dependency prettier is installed, the new markdown file contents is Prettier formatted.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
options |
object? | Options. |
options.cwd |
string? | A directory path to scope the search for source and .gitignore files, defaulting to process.cwd(). |
options.sourceGlob |
string? = **/*.{mjs,cjs,js} |
JSDoc source file glob pattern. |
options.markdownPath |
string? = readme.md |
Path to the markdown file for docs insertion. |
options.targetHeading |
string? = API |
Markdown file heading to insert docs under. |
options.check |
boolean? = false |
Should an error be thrown instead of updating the markdown file if the contents would change; useful for checking docs are up to date in CI. |
Returns: Promise<void> — Resolves once the operation is done.
Ways to import.
import { jsdocMd } from "jsdoc-md";import jsdocMd from "jsdoc-md/jsdocMd.mjs";
Customizing options.
jsdocMd({ cwd: "/path/to/project", sourceGlob: "index.mjs", markdownPath: "README.md", targetHeading: "Docs", }).then(() => { console.log("Done!"); });
Missing JSDoc tags are not inferred by inspecting the code, so be sure to use all the necessary tags.
/**
* The number 1.
* @kind constant
* @name ONE
* @type {number}
*/
const ONE = 1;A JSDoc tag subset is supported:
@desc/@description@kind@name@typedef@callback@type@prop/@property@arg/@argument/@param@return/@returns@emits/@fires@see@example@ignore
Some JSDoc namepath prefixes are not supported:
JSDoc namepath special characters with surrounding quotes and backslash escapes (e.g. @name a."#b"."\"c") are not supported.
One JSDoc inline tag link syntax is supported for namepath links in JSDoc descriptions and tags with markdown content: [`b` method]{@link A#b}. Use normal markdown syntax for non-namepath links.
Other inline tags such as {@tutorial} are unsupported.
@example content outside <caption /> (which may also contain markdown) is treated as markdown. This allows multiple code blocks with syntax highlighting and explanatory content such as paragraphs and images. For example:
/**
* Displays a message in a native popup window.
* @kind function
* @name popup
* @param {string} message Message text.
* @example <caption>Say `Hello!` to the user.</caption>
* This usage:
*
* ```js
* popup("Hello!");
* ```
*
* Displays like this on macOS:
*
* 
*/
const popup = (message) => alert(message);
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