How to Use Angle Brackets `<` and `>` in Javadoc Without Formatting Issues

How can I use the characters `<` and `>` in Javadoc comments without causing formatting problems?

When you want to include angle brackets `<` and `>` in Javadoc comments, they can inadvertently be treated as formatting tags. This behavior prevents the characters from displaying as intended. Fortunately, there are ways to escape these characters to ensure they are rendered correctly in the generated documentation.

/**
 * This is an example of using angle brackets in Javadoc.
 * To include a tag like <xmlElement>, write it as &lt;xmlElement&gt;.
 */
public class Example {

    // Class implementation
}

Causes

• Javadoc treats certain characters like `<` and `>` as HTML tags for formatting.
• This results in these characters not being displayed correctly in the generated documentation.

Solutions

• Use HTML character entities: Replace `<` with `&lt;` and `>` with `&gt;` in your Javadoc comments.
• For example, instead of writing `<<myTag>>`, write `&lt;myTag&gt;`.
• This ensures that the Javadoc processor interprets them as literal characters instead of formatting tags.

Mistake: Failing to use HTML entities for angle brackets.

Solution: Always replace `<` with `&lt;` and `>` with `&gt;` to ensure they appear in the documentation.

Mistake: Assuming Javadoc will render raw `<` and `>` characters correctly.

Solution: Remember that Javadoc interprets these characters as HTML tags. Use HTML entities instead.