Getting Started

So, you have a Kotlin or Java project that uses Gradle and you want to generate some pretty API reference documentation. You've come to the right place.

Find the latest version of Dokkatoo

Find the latest version of Dokkatoo:

• Gradle Plugin Portal
• Dokkatoo GitHub Releases
• Maven Central

Choose a format

Dokkatoo is very flexible, and can generate documentation in multiple formats. For examples of the sites Dokkatoo can generate, check out the Showcase.

tip

If you're unsure about which format to choose, I recommend using the HTML plugin. It has the best support and the most features, and you can always add another format later!

For more detailed information see the Dokka documentation.

HTML

The HTML plugin provides tasks that can generate any of the other formats.

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo-html") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

Javadoc

The Javadoc plugin adds a Javadoc output format that simulates the appearance of Java's Javadoc HTML.

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo-javadoc") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

warning

The Javadoc format is in its early stages, so you may experience issues and encounter bugs. See Dokka for the latest information.

Jekyll

The Jekyll plugin can generate documentation in Jekyll Flavoured Markdown format. It supports both multi-module and multiplatform projects.

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo-jekyll") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

warning

The Jekyll format is in its early stages, so you may experience issues and encounter bugs. See Dokka for the latest information.

GFM

The GFM plugin adds the ability to generate documentation in GitHub Flavoured Markdown format. It supports both multi-module and multiplatform projects.

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo-gfm") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

warning

The GFM format is in its early stages, so you may experience issues and encounter bugs. See Dokka for the latest information.

All formats

The regular plugin provides tasks that can generate any of the other formats.

This option is the most flexible, but if you have decided you only want one format, then select it.

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

Pick and Choose

Of course, you can pick and choose your formats à la carte! Just apply the formats you want.

For example, you could choose to generate HTML and Javadoc.

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo-html") version "$dokkatooVersion"
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo-javadoc") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

Apply Dokkatoo to your project

Now let's see how to apply Dokkatoo to a Gradle project.

I have a single project

Apply the appropriate plugin for any formats you'd like to generate.

For example, HTML and Javadoc:

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

Run the generation task

./gradlew :dokkatooGenerate

View the results in the ./build/dokka/ directory.

I have multiple subprojects

Dokkatoo can aggregate documentation from multiple subprojects.

To do this, apply the Dokkatoo plugin in all subprojects that should be documented.

In the aggregating project, depend on the other subprojects.

build.gradle.kts

plugins {
  id("dev.adamko.dokkatoo") version "$dokkatooVersion"
}

dependencies {
  // aggregate both subproject-hello and subproject-world
  // the subprojects must also have Dokkatoo applied
  dokkatoo(project(":subproject-hello"))
  dokkatoo(project(":subproject-world"))
}

Run the Dokkatoo generation task.

./gradlew :dokkatooGenerate

Dokkatoo will then generate documentation into ./build/dokka/

info

Only run the dokkatooGenerate task in the aggregating project by prefixing the task name with the subproject path, e.g. :my-subproject:dokkatooGenerate.

If the root project is aggregating, prefix the task with a single :.