How to: Generate XML Documentation for a Project

The Generate XML documentation file property determines whether an XML file will be generated during compilation. You set this property on the Compile page (for Visual Basic) or Build page (for Visual C#) of the Project Designer. When this option is selected, XML documentation is automatically emitted into an XML file, which will have the same name as your project and the .xml extension.

For more information about XML documentation in Visual Basic projects, see How to: Create XML Documentation in Visual Basic. For Visual C#, see XML Documentation Comments (C# Programming Guide).

Tip

In most cases, you do not have to generate XML documentation every time that you compile your project; you may want to wait until the application is completed. For large projects, turning this option off may help speed up compilation.

To generate an XML documentation file for a Visual Basic project

  1. With a project selected in Solution Explorer, on the Project menu, click Properties.

  2. Click the Compile tab.

  3. On the Compile page, select Generate XML documentation file. By default, the file is created under the specified output path, for example, "bin\Debug\Projectname.XML".

To generate an XML documentation file for a Visual C# project

  1. With a project selected in Solution Explorer, on the Project menu, click Properties.

  2. Click the Build tab.

  3. On the Build page, select XML documentation file. By default, the file is created under the specified output path, for example, "bin\Debug\Projectname.XML".

See Also

Tasks

How to: Create XML Documentation in Visual Basic

Reference

XML Documentation Comments (C# Programming Guide)

Advanced, C#, Text Editor, Options Dialog Box

Other Resources

Managing Compilation Properties