Continuous integration documentation typically involves using tools that can automatically generate documentation directly from your team’s source code. These tools parse the source code and extract relevant information, such as code comments, function signatures, and variable names to generate the documentation. This data collection process is typically automated and triggered by code changes, ensuring the documentation is automatically updated whenever code changes are merged into the main project. The automatically generated documentation can then be published to a website or other documentation platform where it can be easily accessed by users. In some cases, teams may also use a continuous integration tool to automatically deploy the documentation to a web server or other hosting platform. Continuous Documentation as part of the SDLC An important aspect of the CI documentation process is ensuring it becomes a standard part of the developer workflow. The four main principles for Continuous Documentation include documentation that is always up to date, created when best, covers what’s important, and is consumed when it’s needed. Code-coupled documentation refers to docs that explicitly reference parts of the code, such as code snippets, file paths, names of variables or functions, etc. This type of documentation is intended to provide a first-hand account of the person who originally wrote the code. Not only does this strategy help ensure docs are updated, but it also makes the information easier to find when someone needs to reference it. The timing of when documentation is updated is crucial when implementing continuous integration techniques. Docs shouldn’t be created as an aftermath but as quickly as possible after large changes are made to the project. Tools like Swimm can help teams optimize the process of updating documentation, including when updates should be made. How CI documentation works with Swimm Swimm checks code snippets, smart tokens, and smart paths against the latest version of your code. When it detects an issue of any kind, Swimm will identify what can be Auto-synced to update related documentation. Swimm’s patented Auto-sync feature handles scenarios that determine whether the code snippet can be automatically synced when your code changes. If Swimm’s Auto-sync algorithm determines that a change in the code is impactful enough that it warrants getting more information, Swimm’s verification check fails, and users are updated that the documentation is likely out of date and needs review.