---
description: "Learn more about: XML documentation (Visual C++)"
title: "XML documentation (Visual C++)"
ms.date: 12/03/2021
helpviewer_keywords: ["XML documentation", "XML, documentation comments in source code", "comments, C++ source code files", "/// delimiter for C++ documentation"]
ms.assetid: a1aec1c5-b2d1-4c74-83ae-1dbbbb76b506
---
# XML documentation (Visual C++)

In Visual C++, you can add comments to your source code that are processed to an XML documentation file. This file can then be the input to a process that creates documentation for the classes in your code.

In a Visual C++ code file, XML documentation comments must be located directly before a method or type definition. The comments can be used to populate the IntelliSense QuickInfo data tip in the following scenarios:

1. When the code is compiled as a Windows Runtime component with a WINMD file

1. When the source code is included in the current project

1. In a library whose type declarations and implementations are located in the same header file

> [!NOTE]
> In the current release, code comments aren't processed on templates or anything containing a template type (for example, a function taking a parameter as a template). Adding such comments will result in undefined behavior.

For details on creating an XML file with documentation comments, see the following articles.

| For information about | See |
|--|--|
| The compiler options to use | [`/doc`](doc-process-documentation-comments-c-cpp.md) |
| Tags you can use to provide commonly used functionality in documentation | [Recommended tags for documentation comments](recommended-tags-for-documentation-comments-visual-cpp.md) |
| The ID strings that the compiler produces to identify the constructs in your code | [Processing the XML File](dot-xml-file-processing.md) |
| How to delimit documentation tags | [Delimiters for Visual C++ documentation tags](delimiters-for-visual-cpp-documentation-tags.md) |
| Generating an XML file from one or more XDC files. | [XDCMake reference](xdcmake-reference.md) |
| Links to information about XML as it relates to Visual Studio feature areas | [XML in Visual Studio](/visualstudio/xml-tools/xml-tools-in-visual-studio) |

If you need to put XML special characters in the text of a documentation comment, you must use XML entities or a CDATA section.

## See also

[Component extensions for runtime platforms](../../extensions/component-extensions-for-runtime-platforms.md)