Feature Request: Require single line JSDoc for short comments

[danvk]

Motivation

There are two basic forms of JSDoc comment:

/** single line */

/**
 * multiline
 * jsdoc
 * comment
 */

For short comments, I consider the multiline form a waste of space. For example, instead of:

/**
 * Process the inputs and return an output.
 */
function f(x) { ... }

I'd like to enforce that this be written using single line form:

/** Process the inputs and return an output. */
function f(x) { ... }

Current behavior

I believe this would have to be a new rule.

Desired behavior

I'd like to be able to configure a maximum line length for JSDoc comments and have eslint-plugin-jsdoc enforce that JSDoc comments shorter than this use the single-line form, whereas JSDoc comments longer than this use the multiline form.

Configuration might be something like:

{
  'jsdoc/prefer-single-line': ['error', 'always', {
    maxLineLength: 95
  }]
}

Alternatives considered

None

[brettz9]

Did you want this only when there were no tags or also for tags? (If the latter, I think we should at least allow tags like @example to avoid the need for single line.)

I suggest we combine this proposed rule into one which also allows optional support for the opposite--what is detailed at the end of #199 (comment) , namely forbidding single-line comments (except when accompanied by specific whitelisted tags like @lends).

[danvk]

@brettz9 that makes sense to me. I'm usually working in TypeScript, where there's less need for tags, but I can see why you'd want @example to be multiline.

Do you want me to comment on the other issue and close this out?

[brettz9]

Sure, as you like. I'll go ahead and summarize your idea in that same comment, as I've turned it into a kind of wiki.

[danvk]

Great! Closing in favor of #199 (comment)