Doxygen replaces # by ::

[Mario-Klebsch]

I have this following source code test.cpp:

/** a#b */
void foo(){}

and the following Doxyfile:

GENERATE_XML=YES
GENERATE_HTML=NO
GENERATE_LATEX=NO

But the text is changed, "#" gets changed to "::":

$ grep para xml/test*cpp.xml
<para>a::b </para>
$

I tried doxygen version 1.9.8

I tried to search doxygen documentation for any special meaning of '#'-Chars, but did not find any usefull information. :-(

[albert-github]

Also happen is the HTML output.
Tested with 1.12.0 (b3c28ea)

[doxygen]

The special meaning of # is listed here in particular the note:

Note 3:
    For Javadoc compatibility a # may be used instead of a :: in the patterns above. 

See also the Javadoc documentation for @see and @link

Maybe we could constrain the special meaning of # to the commands {@link ...} and @see ... but this may break existing usage.

[Mario-Klebsch]

The Documentation 'Automatic link generation' describes that certain patterns are automatically converted to links:

Links to functions are created if one of the following patterns is encountered:

1. <functionName>"("<argument-list>")"
2. <functionName>"()"
3. "::"<functionName>
4. (<className>"::")n<functionName>"("<argument-list>")"
5. (<className>"::")n<functionName>"("<argument-list>")"<modifiers>
6. (<className>"::")n<functionName>"()"
7. (<className>"::")n<functionName>

and

Note 3:
For Javadoc compatibility a # may be used instead of a :: in the patterns above.

My understanding of these statements is, that in those pattern lists, '#'can be used instead of '::', so that a#b would match a method a::b() and generate an apropriate link to it.

It does not tell anything about what will happen, when there is no method called a::b(), as in my example.

I would suggest to

• either limit the effect of '#'->'::' translation to exactly the documented context (with or without replacing the '#' for the generated link text, in case the link target is found

or to

• document the replacement of '#' and the method of escaping with '%' (including the method of escaping '%') in some general documentation section.

But I am just an occasional doxygen user, so experienced users might think different about it.

[albert-github]

I've just pushed a proposed patch, pull request #10967

[albert-github]

Code has been integrated in master on GitHub (please don't close the issue as this will be done at the moment of an official release).

[doxygen]

This issue was previously marked 'fixed but not released',
which means it should be fixed in doxygen version 1.12.0.
Please verify if this is indeed the case. Reopen the
issue if you think it is not fixed and please include any additional information
that you think can be relevant (preferably in the form of a self-contained example).