Inheriting Documentation in C#: Enhancing Code Readability and Maintainability with `inheritdoc`

Learn how to leverage C#'s `inheritdoc` tag to inherit XML documentation comments from base classes and interfaces. This tutorial demonstrates how `inheritdoc` reduces redundancy, improves code maintainability, and ensures consistent documentation across your C# projects.

Inheriting Documentation in C#

C# allows you to inherit documentation comments from base classes or interfaces. This is a powerful feature that improves code maintainability and readability by reducing redundancy and ensuring consistency.

Understanding Inherited Documentation

The `inheritdoc` tag in XML documentation comments tells the C# compiler to inherit documentation from a base member. This avoids having to repeat documentation for members inherited from a base class or interface.

`inheritdoc` Tag Syntax

The `inheritdoc` tag has the following structure:


<inheritdoc cref="FullyQualifiedMemberName" select="filterExpression"/>
  • cref: Specifies the fully qualified name (FQN) of the base member whose documentation should be inherited.
  • select: (Optional) A filter expression that lets you choose specific parts of the inherited documentation (e.g., summary, remarks).

Example: Inheritance


public class Animal {
    /// <summary>
    /// Makes a sound.
    /// </summary>
    public virtual void MakeSound() { ... }
}

public class Dog : Animal {
    /// <inheritdoc />
    public override void MakeSound() { ... }
}

Here, the `Dog` class's `MakeSound` method inherits documentation from the `Animal` class's `MakeSound` method.

Example: Interfaces


public interface IVehicle {
    /// <summary>Moves the vehicle.</summary>
    void Move();
}

public class Car : IVehicle {
    /// <inheritdoc />
    public void Move() { ... }
}

The `Car` class's `Move` method inherits documentation from the `IVehicle` interface's `Move` method.

Benefits of Inherited Documentation

  • Consistency: Ensures uniform documentation across the inheritance hierarchy.
  • Reduced Redundancy: Avoids repeating documentation for inherited members.
  • Easier Maintenance: Updates to base class/interface documentation automatically propagate.
  • Improved Readability: Provides a clear overview of inherited members.
  • Better Understanding: Simplifies understanding of complex inheritance hierarchies.
  • Promotes Best Practices: Encourages developers to maintain well-documented code.