go-documentation

Go Documentation

Resource Routing

• scripts/check-docs.sh - Run when checking exported functions, types, methods, constants, and packages for missing doc comments.
• scripts/check-docs-ast.go - Implementation helper invoked by check-docs.sh; patch this when changing documentation analysis behavior.
• assets/doc-template.go - Use when starting a documented package or exported API.
• references/CONVENTIONS.md - Read when documenting parameters, context behavior, concurrency safety, cleanup, errors, or named results.
• references/EXAMPLES.md - Read when adding runnable examples or package examples.
• references/FORMATTING.md - Read when formatting Godoc lists, paragraphs, links, and code blocks.

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Doc Comments

Normative: All top-level exported names must have doc comments.

Basic Rules

1. Begin with the name of the object being described
2. An article ("a", "an", "the") may precede the name
3. Use full sentences (capitalized, punctuated)

// A Request represents a request to run a command.
type Request struct { ...

// Encode writes the JSON encoding of req to w.
func Encode(w io.Writer, req *Request) { ...

Unexported types/functions with unobvious behavior should also have doc comments.

Validation: After adding doc comments, run bash scripts/check-docs.sh to verify no exported symbols are missing documentation. Fix any gaps before proceeding.

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Comment Sentences

Normative: Documentation comments must be complete sentences.

• Capitalize the first word, end with punctuation
• Exception: may begin with uncapitalized identifier if clear
• End-of-line comments for struct fields can be phrases

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Comment Line Length

Advisory: Aim for ~80 columns, but no hard limit.

Break based on punctuation. Don't split long URLs.

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Struct Documentation

Group fields with section comments. Mark optional fields with defaults:

type Options struct {
    // General setup:
    Name  string
    Group *FooGroup

    // Customization:
    LargeGroupThreshold int // optional; default: 10
}