Well that's not "comments".

Comments are there to aid the code, not to be taken out, decoded, or have zero impact to the file. Yes they have zero impact to the parser, that's the intent and definition of a comment. Instead you're proposing something like markup language.

Reading this makes me feel the same as that user who is continually inventing their own language for years.

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Java has annotations which is some sort of alternative data-stream in the class files.

You're asking us to consider an alternate scenario in which you clearly stated what you were doing and why you were doing it?

at least you wouldn't be saying that uuencode could be better than base64.

i try to express my questions in a way to keep the discussion on topic. when i put more details out there, many people avoid the topic and focus where they should not.

now i know why you want a copy of my source code

call it "markup" if you want. if you know another way to get the language to be compiled with no effect for that, then i'd to have you say how. in the mean time, having information disguise itself as a comment (while revealing to certain tools) achieves the goal. an archive tool could also do this except that the goal is for the goal is for zero impact whether the added "faked" code is removed or remains in place.

Oh, so it's deliberate? And you kept it up after, *checks* over three weeks of everyone telling you that they have no idea what you're talking about?

This isn't working, and I've wasted enough time with this.

* permanently puts Skaperen in ignore list

no. that was in response to post #43 by pan64 to understand the "You can put whatever you want in your files. But why?".

i don't know Java. if knowing that has value in the context of this thread, maybe you can explain more.

Going back to the original problem: what have you done so far and where are you stuck? Do you still have any open questions?

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Java is definitely a major language, it looks like you need to be familiar with it.

Comments [can be] used to [auto]generate documentation and also pass options/flags to different linters, analyzers and other tools working on the code.
(but I still don't understand what is it all about)

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Skaperen made sure that you did not know what it was about, because he wants to keep the thread on topic. If you knew what it was about, then you would avoid the topic and focus on what you should not.

He said that.

@OP:

The vagueness of your question and lack of useful additional info has left others, myself included still guessing as to what your actual use case is. Clearly this is beginning to annoy some who have taken time to reply and have received no clarification, all of whom it seems have participated in good faith (and thanks to all), so I think it is time to either provide some useful information, or call it a day for this thread.

I ask you to please review the Site FAQ for guidance in asking well formed questions. Especially visit the link from that page, How to Ask Questions the Smart Way for discussion of things to consider when asking others for help.

After doing so please reformulate your question (in this thread for continuity), preferably providing a specific example of data you wish to include in your not-really-a-comment (for want of a better term) and an example or two of how you would want that to be inserted into some particular language familiar to yourself and others, and explain why simply including it as a comment does not work for you, in order to illustrate your goal. Otherwise, let's all let this thread fade into the mists.

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i have done nothing more than just think about the "problem" which initially is trying to find if there is a way to tag a source file more directly than trying to define a container for the content and the tag. i could do this by using what each language defines as a comment. but my program would have to know or detect which language it is. a common way that spans many of today's languages would be the answer. and this can be put in front or behind the file, simplifying how this could be designed (insert in the middle could be more complex). i am "stuck" thinking about it. i have thought about it a few times over the years. i'm about to give up on it and do a container.

> Java is definitely a major language, it looks like you need to be familiar with it.

i need to learn how to make a comment in Java. beyond that does not meet my needs.