GhostDoc Features

Automatic XML Comment Generation

• Generate properly formatted method and type documentation instantly.
• Have parameter and return values pre-populated with intelligent starting descriptions of what they do.

Customizable XML Comment Templates

• Customize the generated documentation precisely to your specific needs using templates.
  • Standard T4 templates allow you to customize the documentation generation exactly according to your needs.
  • Make use of the template editing and validation to ensure easy customization.
  • Customize code documentation for methods as well as interfaces, structs, fields, events, Javascript variables, and many more.

Easy Code Documentation Maintenance

• If you've renamed a method, have your documentation updated accordingly.
• Likewise, revisit renamed parameters and return values.
• If you've added parameters, have those put into the documentation.
• Or, if you've removed parameters, have them taken out.
• Find missing or outdated documentation.
• Discover or remove the auto-generated documentation.

Documentation in Your Preferred Format

• Give your users documentation in multiple formats and let them choose their preferred format instead of the one you happen to know and maintain.
• With a single click, generate CHM, MS Help, Intellisense file, or Web-based documentation for your entire solution.
• Re-generating the documentation after you've modified your code is as simple as yet another single click.

Visual Comment Editor

• Edit inline in the actual help documentation so that you see the end result as you go.
• Leave the result in your source code files as XML documentation when you're satisfied.
• Never worry about hand-typing escape sequences or remembering how best to format the method or type summary.

Custom Help Content

• Build code review into everyone's routine.
• Save countless person-hours in conference rooms.
• Perform checks prior to commits, rather than after the fact.
• Incorporate code review into the team build.
• Avoid needless team conflict.

Documentation from the Build

• Automatically generate documentation as part of each build.
• Never worry about syncing the documentation and the code, as GhostDoc handles this automatically.
• Treat your documentation as yet another artifact associated with releases.

Smart Spell Check

• Have GhostDoc check your comments and your code for misspellings.
• Enjoy a rich set of options to help you combat false positives, such as disabling checks on email addresses and URLs.
• Work with a spell checker that understands Pascal and camel casing.
• Enable in-editor spell checking, generate a custom report, or turn it off altogether - whatever level of assistance you want is available.

Intellisense Control

• Design the exact Intellisense experience you want users of your API to have.
• Produce your custom Intellisense file with a single click or as part of your build.
• Control the content of the Intellisense file with the scope and tag filtering.

Code Contract Compatible

• Code Contracts help are a great technique to reduce bugs in code. They are a software artifact and, as such, should be documented. GhostDoc consumes code contract XML tags and outputs their information in the help documentation and the Visual Editor.

StyleCop Compliance

• Instant StyleCop compliance out of the box.
• No need to create custom templates, manually update documentation or reconfigure StyleCop to avoid warnings and false positives.

GhostDoc Pro Edition includes:

General

• Auto-generate a starting point for your docs
• Visual Editor for XML Comments
• Full-featured Help Documentation Builder
• Intelligent source code Spell Checker
• Documentation Maintenance features
• Documentation Quality editor hints
• XML Comment Preview
• New output format - VS IntelliSense file
• Toolbar for quick command access

XML Documentation Templates

• Document This
• Document Type
• Document File
• Document Project
• Document File Header
• Auto-generate a starting point for your docs
• Copy base class documentation when available
• Document Exceptions
• StyleCop compliant documentation templates
• Configurable rules, acronyms and macros
• Abbreviation expansion
• Non-breaking Words list
• Summary Override table
• Summary Override regular expressions
• Global Properties
• Support for <inheritdoc /> tag
• Exclude from Documentation action
• Add a 'must edit' TODO task
• Add <autogeneratedoc /> tag
• Highlight auto-generated summary
• XML Comment template - T4
• Template editor IntelliSense support
• XML Comment Template Libraries
• Assignable shortcut (default Ctrl-Shift-D)
• Any menu command can be assigned a shortcut
• Option to re-build documentation
• Import/Export of the configuration

Documentation Quality and Maintenance

• Documentation Quality editor hints
• Find auto-generated comments
• Find and fix missing documentation
• Fix out of sync comments
• Can be copied from the base class
• Auto-generated docs to be edited

Help Documentation Builder

• Preview Comment
• Theme support for help documentation
• Frameless web help documentation themes
• Help Configurations
• Help Content Targeting
• Embed images into the Help markup
• Automatic linking to .NET Framework docs
• Support for <inheritdoc /> tag
• Include Code Contracts into help docs
• Custom Tags support
• Code sample syntax highlighting
• Select projects to include
• Define documentation Header and Footer
• Include/exclude by Scope
• Mark auto-generated and 'to be edited'

Documentation Formats

• Html Help1 (.CHM)
• VS IntelliSense file
• MS Help Viewer aka MS Help 3 (.MSHC)
• Frameless web site (HTML, ASP.NET, PHP)
• Web Site (HTML, ASP.NET, PHP)

Spell Checking

• Check spelling as you type
• Spell check code
• Spelling report for entire project/solution
• Specify files to check
• Spelling suggestions with automated correction
• Customize spell checking options
• Dictionaries out of the box
• Programming dictionary included
• Add any language Open Office dictionary
• Create custom dictionaries

GhostDoc Enterprise Edition Features - includes everything in the GhostDoc Pro Edition plus the following:

General

• Command Line Version

Help Documentation Builder

• Produce help documentation from build
• Customize layout and template
• Preview Comment customization
• Create own themes for help documentation
• Add custom content
• Remove "Generated with GhostDoc"

Unattended Deployment

• Silent Deployment
• Silent Activation
• Enterprise Licensing Server (option)
• Priority Support