Do xml comments persist in release mode?
.net, c#, xml-comments
Solution
The XML documentation files are separate from the DLLs for an assembly. They are just UTF8 XML Files. If they happen to be in the same folder as the DLL that they document, then Visual Studio will pick them up.
When you compile, the build process will copy the XML files into the build output folder automatically, if they exist.
None of the contents of the XML documentation ever gets put inside any DLL.
If you look at the framework DLL files (for example in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\Framework.NETFramework\v4.0") you will see loads of ".xml" files next to them.
Problem
On the one hand MSDN says: The XML doc comments are not metadata; they are not included in the compiled assembly ... But on the other hand, Intellisense shows them in Visual Studio for .net classes etc. (e.g. if you hover over `Int32`.) To avoid misunderstandings: I'm referring to these: ``` /// <summary> /// These comments. /// </summary> void example() { //Not these. } ```