CodeKommentaren

CodeKommentaren is a term used in software development to describe the practice of inserting human-readable explanations within source code. The goal is to clarify complex logic, document assumptions, and assist maintenance without altering program behavior. While the exact syntax for comments varies by programming language, the concept is universal across most languages and tooling. In German-language contexts, CodeKommentaren is sometimes used as shorthand for code comments as a discipline.

Comments can be categorized by function: inline comments that describe specific statements, block comments that explain larger sections, and documentation comments that generate external documentation through tools such as Javadoc, Doxygen, or Sphinx. Many teams also use special markers like TODO or FIXME to flag tasks for later work.

Best practices emphasize clarity, conciseness, and accuracy. Avoid restating obvious code, keep comments up to date, and ensure they complement code rather than duplicate it. When the code changes, associated comments should be updated accordingly. Language and project standards should define style, placement, and markup to ensure consistency.

Impact and tooling: Modern IDEs and linters often warn about stale or excessive comments. Documentation generators can extract CodeKommentaren from source to build API references and user guides. The practice is considered essential for onboarding, debugging, and long-term maintainability.

See also: Code comment, Documentation generator, Software maintenance, Readability in software development.