Comments

Lexer
LINE_COMMENT :
      // (~[/ ! \n] | //) ~\n*
   | //

BLOCK_COMMENT :
      /* (~[* !] | ** | BlockCommentOrDoc) (BlockCommentOrDoc | ~*/)* */
   | /**/
   | /***/

INNER_LINE_DOC :
   //! ~[\n IsolatedCR]*

INNER_BLOCK_DOC :
   /*! ( BlockCommentOrDoc | ~[*/ IsolatedCR] )* */

OUTER_LINE_DOC :
   /// (~/ ~[\n IsolatedCR]*)?

OUTER_BLOCK_DOC :
   /** (~* | BlockCommentOrDoc ) (BlockCommentOrDoc | ~[*/ IsolatedCR])* */

BlockCommentOrDoc :
      BLOCK_COMMENT
   | OUTER_BLOCK_DOC
   | INNER_BLOCK_DOC

IsolatedCR :
   A \r not followed by a \n

Non-doc comments

Comments follow the general C++ style of line (//) and block (/* ... */) comment forms. Nested block comments are supported.

Non-doc comments are interpreted as a form of whitespace.

Doc comments

Line doc comments beginning with exactly three slashes (///), and block doc comments (/** ... */), both outer doc comments, are interpreted as a special syntax for doc attributes. That is, they are equivalent to writing #[doc="..."] around the body of the comment, i.e., /// Foo turns into #[doc="Foo"] and /** Bar */ turns into #[doc="Bar"].

Line comments beginning with //! and block comments /*! ... */ are doc comments that apply to the parent of the comment, rather than the item that follows. That is, they are equivalent to writing #![doc="..."] around the body of the comment. //! comments are usually used to document modules that occupy a source file.

Isolated CRs (\r), i.e. not followed by LF (\n), are not allowed in doc comments.

Examples

#![allow(unused)] fn main() { //! A doc comment that applies to the implicit anonymous module of this crate pub mod outer_module { //! - Inner line doc //!! - Still an inner line doc (but with a bang at the beginning) /*! - Inner block doc */ /*!! - Still an inner block doc (but with a bang at the beginning) */ // - Only a comment /// - Outer line doc (exactly 3 slashes) //// - Only a comment /* - Only a comment */ /** - Outer block doc (exactly) 2 asterisks */ /*** - Only a comment */ pub mod inner_module {} pub mod nested_comments { /* In Rust /* we can /* nest comments */ */ */ // All three types of block comments can contain or be nested inside // any other type: /* /* */ /** */ /*! */ */ /*! /* */ /** */ /*! */ */ /** /* */ /** */ /*! */ */ pub mod dummy_item {} } pub mod degenerate_cases { // empty inner line doc //! // empty inner block doc /*!*/ // empty line comment // // empty outer line doc /// // empty block comment /**/ pub mod dummy_item {} // empty 2-asterisk block isn't a doc block, it is a block comment /***/ } /* The next one isn't allowed because outer doc comments require an item that will receive the doc */ /// Where is my item? mod boo {} } }