PyCharm provides convenient features for creating documentation comments.
In this part:
- Documenting Source Code in PyCharm
- Enabling Creation of Documentation Comments
- Creating Documentation Comments
- Generating Reference Documentation
- Type Hinting in PyCharm
- Using Docstrings to Specify Types
Prerequisites
Python docstrings
Before you start, make sure that epytext
or reStructuredText
is selected in the Python Integrated Tools page.
Also note that PyCharm captures custom roles from conf.py
.
When configuring the directory that contains *.rst
files, point to the directory with conf.py
(Python Integrated Tools | Path to the directory with *.rst files).
Basics
In languages files, PyCharm creates stubs of documentation comments on typing the opening tag and pressing Enter.
If this feature applies to a function, PyCharm generates tags, depending on the selected docstring format:
- For reStructuredText:
:param
tags for each parameter declared in the function signature, and:return
tag. - For Epytext:
@param
tags for each parameter declared in the function signature, and@return
tag.


If configured, the documentation comment stubs can be generated with type
and rtype
tags.
When you create additional tags, PyCharm provides code completion that suggests the possible tag names.
Documentation comments in your source code are available for the Quick Documentation Lookup and open for review on pressing Ctrl+Q or Alt+Button2 Click.