MATLAB Function Documentation Writing: Creating Clear and Comprehensive Function Descriptions

# 1. The Necessity of MATLAB Function Documentation

MATLAB function documentation is a crucial tool for documenting and explaining the functionality, usage, and limitations of MATLAB functions. Writing high-quality documentation comments is essential for the following aspects:

- **Enhancing code readability and maintainability:** Documentation comments provide clear explanations for other developers and users, thereby improving the readability and maintainability of the code.
- **Promoting team collaboration:** Consistent and comprehensive documentation comments facilitate teamwork, reducing communication errors and knowledge gaps.
- **Simplifying troubleshooting:** Detailed documentation comments can help developers quickly identify and resolve issues within functions, reducing debugging time and effort.

# 2. Theoretical Foundation of MATLAB Function Documentation

### 2.1 Syntax and Structure of Documentation Comments

#### 2.1.1 Definition of Comment Blocks

MATLAB function documentation comments start with the `%` symbol and end with the `%` symbol, forming a comment block. A comment block can contain multiple lines of text, each starting with a `%` symbol.

% Function Name: myFunction
%
% Function Purpose: Calculate the sum of two numbers
%
% Input Parameters:
%    num1: the first number
%    num2: the second number
%
% Output Parameters:
%    sum: the sum of the two numbers

#### 2.1.2 Types and Usage of Com***

***monly used comment tags include:

| Comment Tag | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `@param` | Describes the input parameters of a function |
| `@return` | Describes the output parameters of a function |
| `@author` | Specifies the author of the function |
| `@version` | Specifies the version number of the function |
| `@since` | Specifies the version number in which the function was introduced |
| `@example` | Provides an example usage of the function |

% Function Name: myFunction
%
% @param num1 the first number
% @param num2 the second number
%
% @return the sum of two numbers

### 2.2 Best Practices for Documentation Comments

#### 2.2.1 Clear and Concise Language

Documentation comments should use clear and concise language, avoiding technical jargon or slang. Sentences should be short and easy to understand, avoiding long sentences or complex structures.

#### 2.2.2 Accurate and Complete Function Descriptions

Documentation comments should accurately and completely describe the function's functionality and algorithm. For complex functions, the description can be broken down into multiple paragraphs, each introducing different parts of the function.

### 2.3 Tools and Support for Documentation Comments

#### 2.3.1 MATLAB Built-in Documentation Generation Tool

MATLAB provides a built-in function called `doc`, which can generate HTML-formatted documentation based on function documentation comments. The `doc` function can accept the function name or the function file path as a parameter.

>> doc myFunction

#### 2.3.2 Third-party Documentation Generators

In addition to MATLAB's built-in documentation tools, there are some third-party documentation generators that can generate more advanced documentation. For example, Doxygen is a popular documentation generator that can produce documentation in HTML, PDF, and RTF formats.

# 3.1 Documentation Comments at the Function Header

Documentation comments at the function header are located at the beginning of the function definition and are used to describe basic information about the function, including the function name, input parameters, output parameters, function purpose, and an overview of the algorithm.

#### 3.1.1 Descriptions of Function Name, Input Parameters, and Output Parameters

The comment for the function name should concisely describe the function's purpose, making it easy for users to quickly understand the function's role. The comments for input parameters and output parameters should detail the type, meaning, range, and units of the parameters.

% Function Name: myFunction
%
% Purpose: Calculate the sum of two numbers
%
% Input Parameters:
%    - num1: the first number
%    - num2: the second number
%
% Output Parameters:
%    - result: the sum of the two numbers

#### 3.1.2 Overview of Function Purpose and Algorithm

The comment for the function purpose should clearly describe the overall function, including the goals it achieves and the types of data it processes. The comment for the algorithm overview should