Introduction

Plugins

Dokka can be customized with plugins. Each output format is internally a plugin. Additionally, kotlin-as-java plugin can be used to generate documentation as seen from Java perspective. Currently maintained plugins are:

• dokka-base - the main plugin needed to run Dokka, contains html format
• gfm-plugin - configures GFM output format
• jekyll-plugin - configures Jekyll output format
• javadoc-plugin - configures Javadoc output format, automatically applies kotlin-as-java-plugin
• kotlin-as-java-plugin - translates Kotlin definitions to Java
• android-documentation-plugin - provides android specific enhancements like @hide support

Please see the usage instructions for each build system on how to add plugins to Dokka.

Source sets

Dokka generates documentation based on source sets.

For single-platform & multi-platform projects, source sets are the same as in Kotlin plugin:

• One source set for each platform, eg. jvmMain or jsMain;
• One source set for each common source set, eg. the default commonMain and custom ones like jsAndJvmMain.

When configuring multi-platform projects manually (eg. in the CLI or in Gradle without the Kotlin Gradle Plugin) source sets must declare their dependent source sets. Eg. in the following Kotlin plugin configuration:

• jsMain and jvmMain both depend on commonMain (by default and transitively) and jsAndJvmMain;
• linuxX64Main only depends on commonMain.

kotlin { // Kotlin plugin configuration
    jvm()
    js()
    linuxX64()

    sourceSets {
        val commonMain by getting {}
        val jvmAndJsSecondCommonMain by creating { dependsOn(commonMain) }
        val jvmMain by getting { dependsOn(jvmAndJsSecondCommonMain) }
        val jsMain by getting { dependsOn(jvmAndJsSecondCommonMain) }
        val linuxX64Main by getting { dependsOn(commonMain) }
    }
}

Output formats

Dokka documents Java classes as seen in Kotlin by default, with javadoc format being the only exception.

• html - HTML format used by default
• javadoc - looks like JDK's Javadoc, Kotlin classes are translated to Java
• gfm - GitHub flavored markdown
• jekyll - Jekyll compatible markdown

If you want to generate the documentation as seen from Java perspective, you can add the kotlin-as-java plugin to the Dokka plugins classpath, eg. in Gradle:

dependencies{
    implementation("...")
    dokkaGfmPlugin("org.jetbrains.dokka:kotlin-as-java-plugin:${dokka-version}")
}

Platforms

Each Dokka source set is analyzed for a specific platform. The platform should be extracted automatically from the Kotlin plugin. In case of a manual source set configuration, you have to select one of the following:

• jvm
• js
• native
• common