source: trunk/Documentation/idldoc/help-template @ 60

<H1>Help on IDLdoc output</H1>

<H2>Routine summary</H2>

The routine summary simply provides the calling sequence for each routine in
the file and the first sentence of the detailed description.

<H2>Routine Details</H2>

The routine details sections gives a possibly longer description of the routine
as well as a tables of the parameters and keywords accepted by the routine.

All the parameters and keywords of the routine will be in these tables
regardless if they have been commented using IDLdoc.

<H3>Notes on routine attributes</H3>

See the IDLdoc page for IDLdoc itself for a full listing of the attributes of
a routine.

<P>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0" CLASS="minor_listing">
    <TR bgcolor="#EEEEFF">
        <TD width="1%" valign="top"><B>Attribute</B></TD>
        <TD><B>Description</B></TD>
    </TR>
    <TR>
        <TD valign="top">abstract</TD>
        <TD>The routine name will be italicized if the routine is marked
            "abstract" (meaning it is not implemented, it is provided for its
            interface).  This is generally used in only object-oriented
            programming.
        </TD>
    </TR>
    <TR>
        <TD valign="top">private</TD>
        <TD>This routine is not intended to be called except by other routines
            in the same file. In other words it is a "helper routine".
        </TD>
    </TR>
</TABLE>


<H3>Keyword and parameter attributes</H3>

<TABLE CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0" CLASS="minor_listing">
    <TR bgcolor="#EEEEFF">
        <TD width="1%" valign="top"><B>Attribute</B></TD>
        <TD><B>Description</B></TD>
    </TR>
    <TR>
        <TD valign="top">in</TD>
        <TD>indicates that the argument is intended to be passed into the
            routine.
        </TD>
    </TR>
    <TR>
        <TD valign="top">out</TD>
        <TD>indicates that the argument is intended to be used to pass a value
            out of the routine. A named variable must be passed to the routine
            to pass a value back to the calling level.
        </TD>
    </TR>
    <TR>
        <TD valign="top">optional</TD>
        <TD>indicates the argument is optional; optional parameters and keywords
            are also placed inside brackets ([]) in the routine summary.
        </TD>
    </TR>
    <TR>
        <TD valign="top">required</TD>
        <TD>indicates the argument is required</TD>
    </TR>
    <TR>
        <TD valign="top">type</TD>
        <TD>"type" indicates the type of the variable.  Can be used indicate a
            group of types, a specific type, an array of a certain type, etc.
            Boolean keywords are indicated by a /KEYWORD_NAME in the routine
            summary.
        </TD>
    </TR>
</TABLE>

<P>