Adding line breaks to comments for Intellisense

Question

Does anyone know how to insert a line break into a summary comment in order for the line break to be reflected in Intellisense documentation?

To clarify, assume code documentation..

/// <summary>
/// Some text documentation
///  - a line break - 
/// Some more documentation
/// </summary>
public void SomeMethod() { }

So when using this method Intellisense offers a summary for the method formatted like this:

Some text documentation

Some more documentation

(Note - the 'para' tag doesn't create empty line breaks - I've tried it!)

Solution 1

Try using this.

/// <summary>
/// <para>Paragraph 1.</para>
/// <para>Paragraph 2.</para>
/// </summary>

But I don't think you can have an actual empty line. Empty para tag gets ignored.

Solution 2

Try this:

/// <summary>
/// <para> [Non-Breaking Space] </para>
/// </summary>

[Non-Breaking Space] is obtained using Alt+255 (using the Numpad).

It will show up as an empty new line. I know this is old, but it worked for me today.

Solution 3

/// <summary><br />
/// <para>To treat comment line like a DIV tag, surround them with PARA tags.</para><br />
/// <para>To add a break with whitespace, add the following line:</para><br />
/// <para>&#160;</para><br />
/// </summary>

Solution 4

Your only hope is probably something cludgy like this:

/// <summary>
/// <para>line one</para>
/// <para>_</para>
/// <para>line two</para>
/// </summary>

View more solutions

Comments

[SoLaR]

A "para" is half answer (it's actually double break), beginning and end of line gets truncated. To enforce break a line at the beginning and the end of summary add following "<para>&#129;</para>" (&#129; character get omitted - actually non visible and zero space).

[Mahipal]

As of Visual Studio 2019, you can add line breaks using <br/> in xml documentation. Refer the answer here.

[flesh]

nope that doesn't do it either ...

[flesh]

how does MS do it with exceptions in methods for example?

[flesh]

cludgy yes, but thats as close as ive got so far

[bdukes]

Exceptions are separate tags in the XML. It's not a blank line in the summary, it's just rendering different sections of the documentation

[drzaus]

<br /> alone worked for me. Using the <para> tags created too much padding which pushed the rest of my comments beyond the overflow.

[Louis Kottmann]

+1: I finally have a place to write //Magic, do not touch.

[Joel]

Just something I want to say: WOW!

[Krowi]

<para>&#160;</para> was the thing I was looking for, tnx :)

[Daryl]

That maybe the most awesome and yet horrible thing to happen simultaneously at so many of the same levels that I have ever seen. For adding empty lines, I'll use Al Erickson's suggestion of   but for doing indenting, this is way nicer.

[Phil Lambert]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

[Peter Huber]

A slightly nicer version: /// <summary> /// <para>Paragraph 1.</para> /// <para>Paragraph 2.</para> /// </summary>

[Peter Huber]

Sorry for the ugly formatting, but stupid stackoverflow does not allow to change a comment after 5 minutes and prevents any decent formatting anyway. Proper sample see in next comment.

[Peter Huber]

Basically replace "<para>XYZ</para>" by "XYZ<para/>"

[Robino]

Oldsk00L! That brings me back.

[Jack Pettinger]

Get in my son! Fantastic

[Martin Braun]

Alt + 0173 looks more like magic. It's the invisible character and works, too.

[Arvo Bowen]

How is there no accepted answer on this question? This should 100% be the accepted answer! Looking back, I guess the question was just asked badly. I'm sure the question was meant to ask how to insert a carriage return.

[srh]

how to use Alt+255 in VS 2015? when i try Alt+255 in VS 2015 nothing happens

[David]

<br /> doesn't work in VS 2017.

[Tam Le]

<br/> DOES work in VS 2019.