JSDoc: Return object structure

code-documentation, documentation-generation, javascript, jsdoc, jsdoc3

Solution

Define your structure separately using a `@typedef`:

/**
 * @typedef {Object} Point
 * @property {number} x - The X Coordinate
 * @property {number} y - The Y Coordinate
 */

And use it as the return type:

/**
 * Returns a coordinate from a given mouse or touch event
 * @param  {TouchEvent|MouseEvent|jQuery.Event} e    
 *         A valid mouse or touch event or a jQuery event wrapping such an
 *         event. 
 * @param  {string} [type="page"]
 *         A string representing the type of location that should be
 *         returned. Can be either "page", "client" or "screen".
 * @return {Point} 
 *         The location of the event
 */
var getEventLocation = function(e, type) {
    ...

    return {x: xLocation, y: yLocation};
}

Problem

How can I tell JSDoc about the structure of an object that is returned. I have found the `@return {{field1: type, field2: type, ...}} description` syntax and tried it: ``` /** * Returns a coordinate from a given mouse or touch event * @param {TouchEvent|MouseEvent|jQuery.Event} e * A valid mouse or touch event or a jQuery event wrapping such an * event. * @param {string} [type="page"] * A string representing the type of location that should be * returned. Can be either "page", "client" or "screen". * @return {{x: Number, y: Number}} * The location of the event */ var getEventLocation = function(e, type) { ... return {x: xLocation, y: yLocation}; } ``` While this parses successfully, the resulting documentation simply states: ``` Returns: The location of an event Type: Object ``` I am developing an API and need people to know about the object that they will get returned. Is this possible in JSDoc? I am using JSDoc3.3.0-beta1.

Original source