Gnatdoc is an automatic documentation generator that creates synchronized documentation from source code, simplifying the maintenance of comments, parameters, and cross-references. It features a command-line interface, customizable CSS, and support for various documentation patterns, while also allowing integration with other tools like gnatdashboard. The tool aims to support multiple output formats and has evolved from an earlier tool, docgen, enhancing usability and functionality for developers.

2. GNATdoc
Automatic Documentation Generator
Presented by
Vasiliy Fofanov

3. “Automatic documentation”?
• Keeping source and documentation in sync by hand is hard
o Parameters added/removed …
o New subprograms, derived types …
o Description changes
o Maintaining cross-references between program entities is a nightmare
• Solution: generate docs directly from the source
o Specially placed/formatted comments used to supply additional information

4. GNATdoc Highlights
• Generates a “web site” from your source code
o Syntax highlighting
o Cross-references
o Multiple indexes
- Packages, entities, source files, inheritance tree…
o Extracts inline annotations from comments

5. GNATdoc Highlights #2
• Command line tool
• Project aware
o “Package documentation”
o As simple as “gnatdoc –P<your project>”
• Documentation patterns
• Customizable CSS
• GPS support (of course!)

6. Evolved from DOCGEN…
• Command-line tool, no longer GPS-only
• DOXYGEN/JAVADOC-like notation
o “@param” etc…
o Old DOCGEN notation is supported (but you can’t mix the two)
• Embedded comments don’t require annotation
o Supports both above- and below-the-source commenting styles

7. How it looks like…

8. Future directions
• Custom attributes with Python hooks
• GNATdashboard integration to allow decorating the documentation with
output from other tools
o Coverage info, …
• Support other output formats in addition to HTML
• We could potentially also support C/C++
o Let us know what you think … ;)

9. Conclusion
• GNATdoc is a very useful tool for quickly generating good-looking library
documentation
• We have started using it in-house for documenting our library products
o GtkAda…
Questions?