Babel started to support TypeScript from version 7.

Run the following:

npm install --save-dev typescript jsdoc-babel @babel/cli @babel/core @babel/preset-env @babel/preset-typescript jsdoc-to-markdown # substitute "npm install --save-dev" with "yarn add -D" when using yarn

Furthermore

• If you use Class Properties (Class SomethingOrOther) you'll have to add: npm install --save-dev @babel/plugin-proposal-class-properties
• If you use Object Rest/Spread (let { x, y, ...z } = { x: 1, y: 2, a: 3, b: 4 };) you'll have to add npm install --save-dev @babel/plugin-proposal-object-rest-spread

Create the jsdoc2md.json file in your project root (right next to package.json), and add the following. You can name the file as you wish. In case you choose a different name, change it in package.json scripts too. If you did not install either of the beforementioned plugin-proposals please exclude either or both of them from the plugins property!

jsdoc2md.json

{ "source": { "includePattern": ".+\\.ts(doc|x)?$", "excludePattern": ".+\\.(test|spec).ts" }, "plugins": [ "plugins/markdown", "node_modules/jsdoc-babel" ], "babel": { "extensions": ["ts", "tsx"], "ignore": ["**/*.(test|spec).ts"], "babelrc": false, "presets": [["@babel/preset-env", { "targets": { "node": true } }], "@babel/preset-typescript"], "plugins": ["@babel/proposal-class-properties", "@babel/proposal-object-rest-spread"] } }

This configuration:

• Excludes your-file.test.ts, your-file.spec.ts and your-file.js files from compilation and documentation.
• Includes your-file.ts, your-file.tsdoc and your-file.tsx
• Using @babel/preset-env, targets current node version for conversion. (You can change and test it according to your needs) => See the preset-env documentation
• Using @babel/preset-typescript gives babel the capability to parse TypeScript

Add the following to the "scripts" section of your package.json

Please note:

• In case some or every item gets added multiple times add --no-cache to the script
• Substitute ./path/to/typescript/files/*.ts with a proper path to the TypeScript files you want to document, for example ./src/*.ts
• Substitute ./path/to/output/file.md with the proper path where you want to output the result, for example ./docs/index.md
• If you use a handlebars template include it with --template ./path/to/template.hbs, for example ./docs/template.hbs

package.json

{ "scripts": { "build:doc": "jsdoc2md --files ./path/to/typescript/files/*.ts --configure ./jsdoc2md.json > ./path/to/output/file.md" } }

Babel and TypeScript removes some JSDoc comments during transpilation:

• babel/babel#6898: transform-flow-strip-types removes all jsdoc comments
• babel/babel#5512: Babel very strange move comments

There is a hacky fix for this by adding a STUB code as seen below:

let STUB = 1; /**  * Some description  * @typedef {Object} Config  * @property {string} name - Name of the config.  * @property {string} color - Color of choice.  */ STUB = 1; export type Config = { name: string; color: string; };