Build API Documentation

This metawork article explains how I build the API documentation using TypeDoc. Here are some things to know about it.

• TypeDoc converts TypeScript comments into HTML documentation.
• TypeDoc is "extensible, configurable, and is available as a command-line interface (CLI) or node module".
• To document a TypeScript module (file), add @module as the last line of the documentation block at the top of each TypeScript file.
• Two spaces at the end of a TSDoc line acts like a newline.
• The typedoc.json holds information about the build.
• My typedoc.json specifies my API documention is placed in the API folder.

Install TypeDoc

Below I show how to install and use the tool in a terminal window. Note that npx is a tool to execute a npm package binary. My current version of npx is 10.9.0.

• Open a command window (cmd).
• Enter: npm install typedoc
• Show version of TypeDoc (I have "0.27.5"): npx typedoc -version

Create API Documentation

Below are the steps to create the API document.

1. Open a command window (cmd).
2. Change directory to: cd C:/projects/mysterymaster.com/ts
3. Execute typedoc: npx typedoc

I don't need to provide additional information on the command-line because I have my typedoc.json file in the same folder as my tsconfig.json file. Below is the contents of my typedoc.json file.

{
	"name": "Mystery Master",
	"entryPoints": ["puzzle/**/*", "solver/**/*", "viewer/**/*"],
	"out": "C:/projects/mysterymaster.com/help/api",
}