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2 Rationale for an Automated Documentation System

 

The need for code documentation is evident to all software developers, but varies in extent from project to project. We consider in this paper the documentation of PSAS software modules -- being developed by by a medium-sized team -- which will then be offered to other programmers as building blocks, i.e., a library.

The reusability of the code calls not only for adequate documentation in the code but also on-line reference documents (e.g., manual or HTML pages) for other programmers to consult. Generally writing such reference material entails an additional documenting effort: if the code documentation can be used at all, it usually must be reformatted.

Subsequently we present several examples of documentation for well-known reusable software libraries, and point out their strengths and weaknesses in order to determine what is important for the PSAS modules.





Will Sawyer
Fri Mar 6 18:02:18 EST 1998