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href="https://pub.dev" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Package site</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></div><main id="page-content"><div id="site-toc--side" class="site-toc"><header class="site-toc__title">Contents</header><ul class="section-nav"><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#write">Write documentation</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#generate">Generate API docs</a><ul class="nav"><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#configure">Configure generation</a></li></ul></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#view">View generated docs</a><ul class="nav"><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#view-local">View local docs</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#view-hosted">View hosted docs</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#view-pub">View package docs</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#view-sdk">View core library docs</a></li></ul></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#troubleshoot">Troubleshoot</a><ul class="nav"><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#troubleshoot-search">Search bar failed to load</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#troubleshoot-sidebar">Sidebar failed to load</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#troubleshoot-missing">Missing API documentation</a></li><li class="toc-entry nav-item"><a class="nav-link" href="#troubleshoot-icons">Text where icons should be</a></li></ul></li></ul></div><article><div class="content"><div id="site-content-title"><h1>dart doc</h1></div><div id="site-toc--inline" class="site-toc toc-collapsible toc-collapsed"><header class="site-toc__title">Contents <span class="site-toc--inline__toggle toc-toggle-down"><i class="material-symbols">keyboard_arrow_down</i></span> <span class="site-toc--inline__toggle toc-toggle-up"><i class="material-symbols">keyboard_arrow_up</i></span></header><ul class="section-nav"><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#write">Write documentation</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#generate">Generate API docs</a><ul><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#configure">Configure generation</a></li></ul></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#view">View generated docs</a><ul><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#view-local">View local docs</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#view-hosted">View hosted docs</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#view-pub">View package docs</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#view-sdk">View core library docs</a></li></ul></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#troubleshoot">Troubleshoot</a><ul><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#troubleshoot-search">Search bar failed to load</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#troubleshoot-sidebar">Sidebar failed to load</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#troubleshoot-missing">Missing API documentation</a></li><li class="toc-entry"><a href="#troubleshoot-icons">Text where icons should be</a></li></ul></li></ul><span class="site-toc--inline__toggle toc-toggle-more-items"><i class="material-symbols">more_horiz</i></span></div><p>The <code>dart doc</code> command generates HTML reference documentation for Dart source code.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="write">Write documentation</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#write" aria-label="Link to 'Write documentation' section">#</a></div><p>To add reference text and examples to the generated documentation, use <a href="/language/comments#documentation-comments">documentation comments</a> with <a href="https://pub.dev/packages/markdown">Markdown</a> formatting. For guidance on writing doc comments, check out the <a href="/effective-dart/documentation">Effective Dart: Documentation</a> guide.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="generate">Generate API docs</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#generate" aria-label="Link to 'Generate API docs' section">#</a></div><aside class="alert alert-info"><div class="alert-header"><i class="material-symbols" aria-hidden="true">info</i> <span>Note</span></div><div class="alert-content"><p>To generate documentation, you must first run <a href="/tools/pub/cmd/pub-get"><code>dart pub get</code></a> and your package must pass <a href="/tools/dart-analyze"><code>dart analyze</code></a> without errors.</p></div></aside><p>To generate the documentation for your package, run <code>dart doc .</code> from the package's root directory. For example, generating the API docs for a <code>my_package</code> package could resemble the following:</p><div class="code-block-wrapper language-console"><div class="code-block-body"><pre class="shiki dash-light" tabindex="0"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">$ cd my_package</span></span> <span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">$ dart pub get</span></span> <span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">$ dart doc </span><span style="color:#6200EE">.</span></span> <span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">Documenting my_package...</span></span> <span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">...</span></span> <span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">Success! Docs generated into /Users/me/projects/my_package/doc/api</span></span></code></pre></div></div><p>By default, <code>dart doc</code> places the generated documentation and supporting files in the <code>doc/api</code> directory. To change the output directory, specify a path with the <code>--output</code> flag:</p><div class="code-block-wrapper language-console"><div class="code-block-body"><pre class="shiki dash-light" tabindex="0"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">$ dart doc --output=</span><span style="color:#11796D">api_docs</span><span style="color:#6200EE"> .</span></span></code></pre></div></div><p>If there are any issues with your package setup or documentation comments, <code>dart doc</code> outputs them as errors or warnings. If you just want to test for issues without saving the generated documentation, add the <code>--dry-run</code> flag:</p><div class="code-block-wrapper language-console"><div class="code-block-body"><pre class="shiki dash-light" tabindex="0"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">$ dart doc --dry-run </span><span style="color:#6200EE">.</span></span></code></pre></div></div><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="configure">Configure generation</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#configure" aria-label="Link to 'Configure generation' section">#</a></div><p>To configure how <code>dart doc</code> generates documentation, create a file named <code>dartdoc_options.yaml</code> in the root directory of your package.</p><p>To learn more about the file's format and supported configuration options, check out <a href="https://dart.dev/go/dartdoc-options-file">dart.dev/go/dartdoc-options-file</a>.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="view">View generated docs</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#view" aria-label="Link to 'View generated docs' section">#</a></div><p>You can view docs generated with <code>dart doc</code> in a variety of ways.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="view-local">View local docs</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#view-local" aria-label="Link to 'View local docs' section">#</a></div><p>To view API docs you generated with <code>dart doc</code> or downloaded from online, you must load them with an HTTP server.</p><p>To serve the files, use any HTTP server. Consider using <a href="https://pub.dev/packages/dhttpd"><code>package:dhttpd</code></a> from pub.dev.</p><p>To use <code>package:dhttpd</code>, activate it globally, then run it and specify the path of your generated docs. The following commands activate the package, then runs it to serve the API docs located at <code>doc/api</code>:</p><div class="code-block-wrapper language-console"><div class="code-block-body"><pre class="shiki dash-light" tabindex="0"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">$ dart pub global activate dhttpd</span></span> <span class="line"><span style="color:#222222">$ dart pub global run dhttpd --path doc/api</span></span></code></pre></div></div><p>To then read the generated docs in your browser, open the link that <code>dhttpd</code> outputs, usually <code>http://localhost:8080</code>.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="view-hosted">View hosted docs</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#view-hosted" aria-label="Link to 'View hosted docs' section">#</a></div><p>You can also host your generated API docs online using any hosting service that supports static web content. Two common options are <a href="https://firebase.google.com/docs/hosting">Firebase hosting</a> and <a href="https://pages.github.com/">GitHub pages</a>.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="view-pub">View package docs</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#view-pub" aria-label="Link to 'View package docs' section">#</a></div><p>The <a href="https://pub.dev">pub.dev site</a> generates and hosts documentation for an uploaded package's public libraries.</p><p>To view a package's generated docs, navigate to its page and open the <strong>API reference</strong> link in the info box on the right side of the page. For example, you can find the API docs for <code>package:http</code> at <a href="https://pub.dev/documentation/http">pub.dev/documentation/http</a>.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="view-sdk">View core library docs</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#view-sdk" aria-label="Link to 'View core library docs' section">#</a></div><p><code>dart doc</code> is also used to generate the API reference documentation for the Dart core libraries.</p><p>To view the Dart SDK reference docs, visit the api.dart.dev link that corresponds to the Dart release channel you are developing with:</p><div class="table-wrapper"><table class="table table-striped"><thead><tr><th>Branch</th><th>Generated docs</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><code>stable</code></td><td><a href="https://api.dart.dev">api.dart.dev/stable</a></td></tr><tr><td><code>beta</code></td><td><a href="https://api.dart.dev/beta">api.dart.dev/beta</a></td></tr><tr><td><code>dev</code></td><td><a href="https://api.dart.dev/dev">api.dart.dev/dev</a></td></tr><tr><td><code>main</code></td><td><a href="https://api.dart.dev/main">api.dart.dev/main</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="header-wrapper"><h2 id="troubleshoot">Troubleshoot</h2><a class="heading-link" href="#troubleshoot" aria-label="Link to 'Troubleshoot' section">#</a></div><p>To identify and resolve common issues with docs generated with <code>dart doc</code>, consult the following reference section.</p><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="troubleshoot-search">Search bar failed to load</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#troubleshoot-search" aria-label="Link to 'Search bar failed to load' section">#</a></div><p>If the generated documentation's search bars aren't functional or include text similar to "Failed to initialize search", one of the following scenarios is possible:</p><ol><li>You are accessing the docs from your own file system, but they aren't being served and loaded with an HTTP server. To learn how to serve local API docs, check out <a href="#view-local">how to view generated docs locally</a>.</li><li>The <code>index.json</code> file generated by <code>dart doc</code> is missing or inaccessible from the documentation directory or your hosted web server. Try regenerating the docs and validating your hosting configuration.</li></ol><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="troubleshoot-sidebar">Sidebar failed to load</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#troubleshoot-sidebar" aria-label="Link to 'Sidebar failed to load' section">#</a></div><p>If the generated documentation's sidebars are missing or include text similar to "Failed to load sidebar", one of the following scenarios is possible:</p><ol><li>You are accessing the docs from your own file system, but the docs aren't being served and loaded with an HTTP server. To learn how to serve local API docs, check out <a href="#view-local">how to view local docs</a>.</li><li>The generated docs' base-href behavior is configured. This configuration option is deprecated and should no longer be used. Try removing the option and using the default behavior of <code>dart doc</code>. If the default behavior breaks links in your generated docs, please <a href="https://github.com/dart-lang/dartdoc/issues">file an issue</a>.</li></ol><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="troubleshoot-missing">Missing API documentation</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#troubleshoot-missing" aria-label="Link to 'Missing API documentation' section">#</a></div><p>If you can't find or access the generated documentation for an API you expect to have docs, one of the following scenarios is possible:</p><ol><li>The package does not expose the API you are looking for as a public API. <code>dart doc</code> only generates documentation for public libraries and members that are exposed for other packages to import and use. To learn more about configuring a package's public libraries, check out the package layout guide on <a href="/tools/pub/package-layout#public-libraries">public libraries</a>.</li><li>The URL you are attempting to access has incorrect capitalization. By default, <code>dart doc</code> generates filenames that are case-sensitive, match their corresponding source declarations, and have a <code>.html</code> extension. Try verifying the URL matches these expectations.</li></ol><div class="header-wrapper"><h3 id="troubleshoot-icons">Text where icons should be</h3><a class="heading-link" href="#troubleshoot-icons" aria-label="Link to 'Text where icons should be' section">#</a></div><p>If you see text instead of icons like the menu and theme buttons, your browser was likely unable to load the Material Symbols font. Some options to solve this include:</p><ol><li>Try using a proxy that enables access to the Google Fonts servers.</li><li>Update the generated pages to use a local version of the font.</li></ol><p id="page-github-links"><span>Unless stated otherwise, the documentation on this site reflects Dart 3.5.4. Page last updated on 2024-04-11.</span> <a href="https://github.com/dart-lang/site-www/tree/main/src/content/tools/dart-doc.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View source</a> <span>or </span><a href="https://github.com/dart-lang/site-www/issues/new?template=1_page_issue.yml&page-url=https://dart.dev/tools/dart-doc/&page-source=https://github.com/dart-lang/site-www/tree/main/src/content/tools/dart-doc.md" title="Report an issue with this page" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report an issue</a>.</p></div></article></main><footer id="page-footer"><div class="footer-section footer-main"><a href="/" class="brand" title="Dart"><img src="/assets/img/logo/logo-white-text.svg" alt="Dart" width="164"></a><div class="footer-social-links"><a href="https://medium.com/dartlang" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Medium blog"><svg><use href="/assets/img/social/medium.svg#medium"></use></svg> </a><a href="https://github.com/dart-lang" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="GitHub"><svg><use href="/assets/img/social/github.svg#github"></use></svg> </a><a href="https://twitter.com/dart_lang" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="X (Twitter)"><svg><use href="/assets/img/social/x.svg#x"></use></svg></a></div></div><div class="footer-section footer-tray"><div class="footer-licenses">Except as otherwise noted, this site is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>, and code samples are licensed under the <a href="https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause">3-Clause BSD License</a>.</div><div class="footer-utility-links"><ul><li><a href="/terms" title="Terms of use">Terms</a></li><li><a href="https://policies.google.com/privacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Privacy policy">Privacy</a></li><li><a href="/security" title="Security philosophy and practices">Security</a></li></ul></div></div></footer></body></html>