Javadoc reference param from another method

Question

I don't want to write redundant javadoc comments. As you can see, @param x is in a way redundant. Is there a javadoc markup to set a reference from @param x in class B to @param x in class A or am I allowed to just leave it out?

/**
 * Class A constructor
 * 
 * @param x  position on x-axis
 */
public A(final int x) {
    this.x = x;
}

/**
 * Class B constructor
 * 
 * @param x  position on x-axis
 * @param y  position on y-axis
 */
public B(final int x, final int y) {
    super(x);
    this.y = y
}

Answer 1

You can't leave it out, javadoc isn't smart, it just parses the comments, he can't say that the x parameter for the B constructor is the same than the A constructor even if there is inheritance in play.

I don't think there's a way to "factorize" this either. You'll just have to write all of them, sorry...

Answer 2

With methods it should work: if you overwrite or implement a method, the parameters are copied if not provided.

Constructors are not inherited, and even less to a constructor with other parameter types. Javadoc has no way to know that you pass the parameter to another constructor, since it does not interpret the contents of the methods/constructors, only the outer interface.

So, I suppose you are out of luck, if you don't want to write your own doclet or change the standard doclet (and even then you would have to somehow say which constructor to inherit the params from). (This would be a useful addition, also for multiple similar methods in the same class, I think.)