Comments in C#: Single Line, Multiline and XML Comments

Introduction: Comments in C#

Comments are used in a program to make a section of code easier to understand. They’re used to make the code more readable and to provide a formal description of the code and how it works. The compiler completely ignores comments, so you may put them wherever in a program and not worry about them breaking it.

You can have three different types of comments in C#.

• Single Line Comments ( // )
• Multi Line Comments (/* */)
• XML Comments ( /// )

Single Line Comments

Single Line comment is preceded by a double forward-slash (//). The code after the double forward slash will be ignored by the compiler and will not be executed.
These comments can be written in a different line or in the same line as the codes.

 // This is an example of single line comment
 Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");

Multi-Line Comments in C#

Multiline Comments are used to comment on multiple lines at once. This is commonly used to comment out an entire section of code.
Multi-line comments begin with /* and end with */.
Any text between /* and */ will be ignored by the C# compiler.

/* 
* FileName: Program.cs
* Author:  Shekh Ali
* This is the end of multi line comment 
*/

XML documentation comment

XML documentation comments begin with a triple slash, ///. Comments are enclosed in XML tags. The .NET C# compiler includes a feature that reads the XML documentation comments and creates XML documentation from them. This XML documentation can be extracted to a separate XML file. The XML file can then be styled with XML style sheets to provide elegant code documentation that can be seen in a browser. (Please refer this MSDN link for more information: XML documentation comment)

using System;
namespace ExampleOfXMLComment
{
    class Program
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Author: Shekh Ali
        /// Method to print 'Hello World' in the Console application.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="args"></param>
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {         
            Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");
            Console.ReadKey();        
        }
    }
}

Note : In the above example, the <summary> tag provides the information about the defined type or member, whereas the <param> tag represents method parameters.

Note: we can use Ctrl+K+C and Ctrl+K+U to Comment or Uncomment selected lines in C#.

Summary:

In this post, You’ve learned about the different types of comments in C#, how to use them, and, most importantly, why to use them.
We looked at single-line, multi-line and xml comments in C#.
Code comments can help you understand your code better, as well as other programmers who will use it.

Articles to Check Out:

• C# Abstract class Vs Interface
• Abstraction vs Encapsulation in C#
• WCF vs WEB API
• Top 50 C# Interview Questions And Answers For Freshers And Experienced
• Collections in C# .NET
• ASP.NET Core Middleware With Examples
• C# Struct vs Class

• Author
• Recent Posts

Shekh Ali

Meet Shekh Ali, a skilled Software engineer and passionate blogger with an MCA degree and 8+ years of experience in the field. He enjoys sharing his expertise in C#, Java, SQL, Design Patterns, and other related topics through his writing. When he's not coding, Shekh Ali can often indulge in his passions for reading books and fitness training.

Latest posts by Shekh Ali (see all)

• Understanding the SOLID Principle: Single Responsibility Principle in C# - June 7, 2023
• Difference between var and dynamic in C# - May 26, 2023
• Understanding the Chain of Responsibility Design Pattern in C# - May 11, 2023