org.aspectj/docs/devguide/ajdoc.adoc

= `ajdoc`, the AspectJ API documentation generator

== Name

`ajdoc` - generate HTML API documentation, including crosscutting structure

== Synopsis

[subs=+quotes]
 ajdoc [ -bootclasspath _classpathlist_ ] [ -classpath _classpathlist_ ] [-d _path_] [-help] [-package] [-protected] [-private] [-public] [-overview _overviewFile_] [ -sourcepath _sourcepathlist_ ] [-verbose] [-version] [_sourcefiles_... | _packages_... | @_file_... | -argfile _file_...] [ _ajc options_ ]

== Description

`ajdoc` renders HTML documentation for AspectJ constructs as well as the
Java constructs that `javadoc` renders. In addition `ajdoc` displays the
crosscutting nature in the form of links. That means, for example, that
you can see everything affecting a method when reading the documentation
for the method.

To run `ajdoc`, use one of the scripts in the AspectJ `bin` directory.
The `ajdoc` implementation builds on Sun's `javadoc` command line tool,
and you use it in the same way with many of the same options (`javadoc`
options are not documented here; for more information on `javadoc`
usage, see the https://java.sun.com/j2se/javadoc/[Javadoc homepage].)

As with `ajc` (but unlike `javadoc`), you pass `ajdoc` all your aspect
source files and any files containing types affected by the aspects;
it's often easiest to just pass all the `.java` and `.aj` files in your
system. Unlike `ajc`, `ajdoc` will try to find package sources using the
specified sourcepath if you list packages on the command line.

To provide an argfile listing the source files, you can use use the same
argfile (`@filename`) conventions as with `ajc`. For example, the
following documents all the source files listed in `argfile.lst`,
sending the output to the `docDir` output directory.

[source, text]
....
ajdoc -d docDir @argfile.lst
....

See xref:ajc.adoc[`ajc`, the AspectJ compiler/weaver] for details on the text file
format.

`ajdoc` honours `ajc` options. See the xref:ajc.adoc#ajc_options[ajc
documentation] for details on these options.

`ajdoc` currently requires the `tools.jar` from J2SE 1.3 to be on the
classpath. Normally the scripts set this up, assuming that your
`JAVA_HOME` variable points to an appropriate installation of Java. You
may need to provide this jar when using a different version of Java or a
JRE.

== Examples

* Change into the `examples` directory.
* Type `mkdir doc` to create the destination directory for the documentation.
* Type `ajdoc -private -d doc spacewar coordination` to generate the documentation. (Use `-private` to get all members,
  since many of the interesting ones in spacewar are not public.)
* Type `ajdoc -private -d doc @spacewar/demo.lst` to use the argfile associated with Spacewar.
* To view the documentation, open the file `index.html` in the `doc` directory using a web browser.