I Got Tired of XML Doc Comments, So I Built My Own Visual Studio Extension

AKP — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:24:03 +0000

The Problem

If you've written any serious C# code, you know the pain. Your /// doc comments
are packed with useful information — but reading them in the editor looks like this:

/// <summary>
/// Calculates the total price including <paramref name="taxRate"/> for a given
/// <see cref="Order"/>. Returns <c>0</c> if the order has no items.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="order">The order to calculate.</param>
/// <param name="taxRate">The tax rate as a decimal, e.g. <c>0.2</c> for 20%.</param>
/// <returns>The total price as a <see cref="decimal"/>.</returns>
/// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">Thrown when <paramref name="order"/> is null.</exception>

Raw XML noise everywhere. Every single method.

I tried PrettyDocComments. The concept was right but the aesthetics drove me
crazy — it looked out of place in a modern IDE. So I built Render Doc Comments.

What It Does

Render Doc Comments transforms those cluttered /// tags into clean, formatted
documentation blocks — rendered inline in your editor, not in a separate window
or hover popup.

Before: Raw XML tags cluttering your view

After: Clean, readable documentation with proper formatting, styled parameters,
and clickable cref links

The Interaction Model

Caret-Based Mode (Default — Free)

Click into a comment and it reverts to raw XML for editing. Move your cursor away
and the polished render returns. Zero friction.

Margin Glyph Mode (Premium)

A glyph in the editor margin lets you toggle between raw and rendered manually,
regardless of cursor position.

Language Support

C# — /// XML doc comments
F# — /// XML doc comments
C++ — Doxygen-style /// comments
VB.NET — ''' XML doc comments

Free vs Premium

Feature	Free Edition	Premium License
Multi-Language Support (C#, F#, C++, VB.NET)	✅	✅
High-Fidelity Rendering	✅	✅
Interactive `cref` Links	✅	✅
Caret-Based Auto-Hide	✅ (Always On)	🔘 Selectable
Margin Glyph Toggle	❌	🔘 Selectable
Theme Synchronization	Manual (Reopen)	Instant Auto-Sync
Typography	Segoe UI (Fixed)	Fully Custom
Accent Bars	Left Side Only	Multi-side Layout
Color Profiles	Default	Full Customization

The core rendering engine is free and open source (GNU GPL v3). Premium features
fund continued development.

Why I Built This

Documentation should aid readability — not add to the noise. Every other part of
the modern IDE has been polished. Doc comments were stuck in 2005. This is my
attempt to fix that.

Get It

Search "Render Doc Comments" in the Visual Studio Marketplace, or go to
Extensions → Manage Extensions inside VS.

Direct Links

Github
Visual Studio Marketplace

Would love feedback — especially from C#, F#, C++ and VB.NET users!

DEV Community: AKP