api documentation and “value limits”: do they match?

Question

Do you often see in API documentation (as in \'javadoc of public functions\' for example) the description of \"value limits\" as well as the classic documentation ?

Answer 1

I think they can belong together but don't necessarily have to belong together. In your scenario, it seems like it makes sense that the limits are documented in such a way that they appear in the generated API documentation and intellisense (if the language/IDE support it).

I think it does depend on the language as well. For example, Ada has a native data type that is a "restricted integer", where you define an integer variable and explicitly indicate that it will only (and always) be within a certain numeric range. In that case, the datatype itself indicates the restriction. It should still be visible and discoverable through the API documentation and intellisense, but wouldn't be something that a developer has to specify in the comments.

However, languages like Java and C# don't have this type of restricted integer, so the developer would have to specify it in the comments if it were information that should become part of the public documentation.