Wet Documentation

Wet Documentation is a software development practice that emphasizes creating documentation that is tightly coupled with the code it describes, often embedded directly within the source files. It contrasts with 'dry documentation' (separate files) by ensuring documentation stays current as code evolves, reducing maintenance overhead and improving accuracy. This approach typically uses tools that extract documentation from code comments or annotations to generate user-facing docs automatically.

Also known as: Inline Documentation, Code-Coupled Documentation, Embedded Documentation, Wet Docs, WetDoc

Why learn Wet Documentation?

Developers should use Wet Documentation when working on projects where documentation tends to become outdated quickly, such as in agile environments or with rapidly changing APIs, as it enforces synchronization between code and docs. It's particularly valuable for libraries, frameworks, or internal tools where accurate, up-to-date documentation is critical for usability and reduces the risk of misleading information. This methodology helps teams maintain consistency and saves time by automating doc generation from source.

Learning Resources

• tutorial: Wet vs. Dry Documentation: A Practical Guide
• tutorial: Documenting Your Code with Wet Documentation Principles
• docs: Best Practices for Inline Documentation in Software Projects
• docs: Automating Documentation with Tools like JSDoc and Sphinx