What is the status of PHPDoc? [closed]

Question

I never cared much about documenting my code before, but recently I started working on an open source project and the need arose. Obviously the 'weapon of choice" is PHPDoc, but...

I couldn't really find a single specification of the PHPDoc standard. There is a wikipedia entry listing some of the properties and there is the phpDocumentor project, which supposedly has a more extensive dictionary, but what puzzles me is where is the definitive guide of PHPDoc? Is there a single standard or it is up to all those numerous phpDocumentor knockoffs to extend the PHPDoc "standard" (if any) to whatever they seem fit.

If we assume that phpDocumentor is the place where the PHPDoc standard is created and maintained, things look pretty grim, since the project's website is dead for for about almost 4 years now. And what puzzles me even more is that about a month ago a version 1.4.4 suddenly appeared from the dead on the Pear site of phpDocumentor.

I know there are a lot more smarted and knowledgable fellows around here, so I would like to know. What is the deal with PHPDoc. Is there a single authority that creates the standard? How reliable is it? Is there any future or we are dealing with a zombie and all hope is lost...

Thanks, Ivo

Answer 1

According to Wikipedia it's dead.

The specifications for the standard for PhpDoc tags used to be what was listed in the documentation for PhpDocumentor. But like I said, it's dead. As DocBlox seems to be filling the void that PhpDocumentor left, I'd advise using the DocBlox documentation as the basis for how you do your PhpDoc comments.

I'm hoping Netbeans 7.1 will introduce DocBlox support because it's so much better. It's PHP 5.3 aware and it's actively maintained.

Answer 2

This question is already a bit old, but for the sake of information, I should add that DocBlox was merged with PhpDocumentor.

Announcing phpDocumentor 2 – the merging of the old (phpDocumentor) and the new (DocBlox).

With the first alpha release of phpDocumentor (2.0.0a1), the new “Responsive” default template sports a new page layout, along with the useful layout improvements that the original DocBlox templates provided (which remain available) over the old phpDocumentor templates (which will retire with old phpDocumentor). Explore this new template at http://demo.phpdoc.org/Responsive/index.html.

=> http://www.docblox-project.org/2012/03/docblox-is-unmasked-it-is-really-phpdocumentor-2/

PHPDoc is back to the action. =)

Answer 3

As of Aug. 2013 the the PHP Framework Interoperability Group began began writing a formal specification (PSR) for PHPDoc. The proposed standard for PHPDoc, current draft PSR5: https://github.com/phpDocumentor/fig-standards/blob/master/proposed/phpdoc.md

The current draft updates the specification to address PHP 5.3+, as well as other changes which have occurred. I believe the expectation is this standard for php comments will be adopted accross multiple doc generators.