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Show HN: Dev-Docs – A tool that helps you document as you code (marketplace.visualstudio.com)
24 points by andrewdevdocs 1230 days ago
Hi all,

Super excited to share that I am building Dev-Docs, and I wanted to create a post to get other developers' thoughts.

Background: Developers know how important it is to document their codebases, but often, it's an afterthought that ends up taking a lot of time and effort. That's where Dev-Docs comes in - a solution that helps developers document as they code, making the process easier and more efficient.

Features: Dev-Docs handles both internal documentation for teams and external documentation around APIs and codebases for customers and partners.

Internal Documentation: Dev-Docs makes it easy for engineers to document their code, right within their editor. This way, they can easily document the code they're working on, without having to switch between multiple tools. Think of it as a mini local notion that lives within vs code.

External API and Codebase Documentation: Developers can also use Dev-Docs to document their external APIs and codebases, making it easier for their customers and partners to understand how the code works.

Quick demo(From December): https://youtu.be/fmcgw3MkW4E

Currently it is live but I am going to try to refine it a bit during this month and hopefully market a more open launch. In the meantime I would love some feedback on the video/product(hopefully none that obliterates my identity and all of my self-esteem). :')

Additionally feel free to dm on linkedin if you have direct feedback or want to start using the rough version of it: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewryanvanbeek.

Thanks!

6 comments

What is your relationship with devdocs.io, if any?

I have editor integration to that for my editor with https://github.com/astoff/devdocs.el.

If you're unaffiliated, then you'll benefit from changing your name.

Your tool looks great! Thanks for the suggestion, though for now I am not making any branding or naming changes atm. Also want to be clear I am dev-docs, so maybe it makes sense to change my username here.
FreeCodeCamp's DevDocs is quite a popular and well established resource that has been around for almost a decade. Just making sure you're aware of their significance in this space :)

https://devdocs.io/

https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/devdocs (9 y/o, 30.7k stars)

Oh shoot that is a good point. Thanks for sharing. I won't make any promises but definitely gives me some stuff to consider.
clarifying: that’s the plug-in i use for my editor, it’s not the plug-in that i wrote for my editor :)
No opinion about your product itself, I have no time to watch a video just yet, but I wanted to point out the unfortunate name clash with https://devdocs.io/
Thanks for letting me know!
Congrats on the launch!

Did you also think about hooking up OpenAI APIs to auto generate the documentation, after which developer could make tweaks to improve?

Hi there! You can you bring your AI to Dev-Docs. So there is a configuration file with plugins so you can plugin your own Openai Account, Hugging Face, or Chat Sonic within the editor. Will be releasing more info on the extensions readme and on our docs site.
I'll try to do this by this Monday Night. Sorry the info is not here at the moment.
no rush. i thought it would be pretty powerful for your tool. glad you are already thinking along those lines.
Going to give this a try! Interested in code-informed documentation hinting.
Thanks!
Also want to make it clear i am not affliated with the website devdocs.io.
Congrats on the launch!
Thanks!