JavaDocs and Code Documentation

For users working with Nextflow, the Nextflow extension for Visual Studio Code provides the best support for documentation and code hints. Developers can include docstrings in their scripts, which will enable hover-based code suggestions within the editor. Below is an example of how to format a simple process using a docstring.

\*
A simple process that outputs a "Hello, world!" message.
*/

process SAY_HELLO {

    tag "Saying hello"

    output:

        path "hello.txt", emit: hello_file

        path "versions.yml", emit: versions

    script:

    """

    echo 'Hello, world!' > hello.txt

    cat <<-END_VERSIONS > versions.yml

    "say_hello": 1.0

    END_VERSIONS

    """

}

workflow {

    SAY_HELLO()

}

This approach helps ensure that developers can quickly reference process definitions and outputs while working within Nextflow.

Make sure you have Java 17 or above installed to make the VSCode extension work: link