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Documenting the return of a javascript constructor with jsdoc

I have a javascript function that returns a constructor (see code sample below). How would I document this with the @returns tag of jsdoc. It doesnt seem correct to do @returns {MyConstructor} because that implies I am returning an instance of "MyConstructor" rather than the constructor itself, right?

function MyConstructor() {
    var self = this;

    self.myFunction = function() {
        return true;
    };

    self.getMyFunctionResult = function() {
        return self.myFunction();
    };
}

/**
 * @returns {?} A constructor that will be instantiated
 */
function getConstructor() {
    return MyConstructor;
}

var constructor = getConstructor();
var instance = new constructor();
like image 552
computrius Avatar asked Jan 08 '14 17:01

computrius


2 Answers

I do not think there is a way to use the brackets after @returns to document returning a specific instance. What goes in the brackets is interpreted as a type, always. This being said, there's a way to document that a specific instance of a type is being returned, by documenting the instance and using a link to the instance. I've shortened the code in the question to the essentials necessary to illustrate:

/**
 * @class
 */
function MyConstructor() {

}

/**
 * @returns {Function} A constructor that will be instantiated. Always
 * returns {@link MyConstructor}.
 */
function getConstructor() {
    return MyConstructor;
}

It can also be done with other things than classes:

/**
 * @public
 */
var foo = 1;

/**
 * @returns {number} {@link foo}.
 */
function getFoo(){
    return foo;
}

As far as I know, this is as good as it gets with jsdoc 3.

like image 125
Louis Avatar answered Oct 05 '22 06:10

Louis


Maybe little bit late, but I have problem to find proper answer for your question event today.

When I try generate JSDoc automatically on WebStorm, this is what I get:

class Test {}

/**
 *
 * @return {Test}
 * @constructor
 */
function getTestConstructor() {
    return Test;
}

Return type definition is still strange, but constructor annotation may fulfill the purpose.

like image 27
TonyB Avatar answered Oct 05 '22 06:10

TonyB