I am working with a proprietary library that has JavaDocs, but no source code. I've attached the JavaDocs to the library's jar, but I still can't get useful parameter names auto-completed (they are named arg0, arg1, arg2, etc). Is there any way to fix this without source code?
+1
A:
Parameter names, like local variables, are removed when the source code gets compiled down to byte-code. Even if you have @param elements in the Javadoc, they aren't guaranteed to be in any order and some can even be missing. I don't think there is a reliable way for the IDE to reconstruct which @param maps to which parameter using the Javadoc alone.
Outlaw Programmer
2009-09-10 14:08:53
Thanks for the reply, but I think that it is possible. The JavaDoc has the complete message signature, including parameter names. Example copied from Sun's System JavaDoc:static void arraycopy(Object src, int srcPos, Object dest, int destPos, int length)
Joel
2009-09-10 16:15:13
Hey, it looks like you're right. It should be possible for the IDE to at least take a good guess at the parameters names.
Outlaw Programmer
2009-09-10 17:51:55
Right. I was hoping to get eclipse to use information contained in the JavaDocs instead.
Joel
2009-09-10 16:10:22
+1
A:
I do not believe that Eclipse can do much more with attached javadocs than point a browser at the right page.
I would suggest looking for a program which can recreate a source jar (just the stubs) from JavaDoc files, and then attach that to your proprietary file. Eclipse should then pick up the information you want from that.
Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen
2009-09-11 07:56:39
A:
I would recommend installing JD-Eclipse:
It is a Java Decompiler and allows you to peek into the classes you don't have the source/JavaDoc of. Looking at the source may allow you to determine what the unnamed parameters are used for.
DevJ
2009-09-11 09:01:57
A:
I think Eclipse have this feature from version 3.2 (see this bug). I have just tried with Oracle's jdbc driver (no source but javadoc). Before attaching the javadoc to the jar I have only arg1,... for parameter completing. After attaching the javadoc I have both javadoc and correct parameter name completing.
But... this only works if you attach the javadoc as a "javadoc in archive", and does not work when you use javadoc URL.
Csaba_H
2009-09-11 09:48:26
Hey, that is exactly what I was looking for. Just tried it and it workd. Thanks! (I had been just using the local path)
Joel
2009-09-15 20:51:05