Specific error message for missplaced doc comments

src/librustc_errors/lib.rs

@@ -564,6 +564,15 @@ impl Handler {
         self.bump_err_count();
         self.panic_if_treat_err_as_bug();
     }
+    pub fn mut_span_err<'a, S: Into<MultiSpan>>(&'a self,
+                                                sp: S,
+                                                msg: &str)
+                                                -> DiagnosticBuilder<'a> {
+        let mut result = DiagnosticBuilder::new(self, Level::Error, msg);
+        result.set_span(sp);
+        self.bump_err_count();
+        result
+    }
     pub fn span_err_with_code<S: Into<MultiSpan>>(&self, sp: S, msg: &str, code: &str) {
         self.emit_with_code(&sp.into(), msg, code, Error);
         self.bump_err_count();

src/libsyntax/parse/parser.rs

@@ -578,12 +578,21 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
                 self.bug("ident interpolation not converted to real token");
             }
             _ => {
-                let mut err = self.fatal(&format!("expected identifier, found `{}`",
-                                                  self.this_token_to_string()));
-                if self.token == token::Underscore {
-                    err.note("`_` is a wildcard pattern, not an identifier");
-                }
-                Err(err)
+                let last_token = self.last_token.clone().map(|t| *t);
+                Err(match last_token {
+                    Some(token::DocComment(_)) => self.span_fatal_help(self.last_span,
+                        "found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything",
+                        "doc comments must come before what they document, maybe a comment was \
+                        intended with `//`?"),
+                    _ => {
+                        let mut err = self.fatal(&format!("expected identifier, found `{}`",
+                                                          self.this_token_to_string()));
+                        if self.token == token::Underscore {
+                            err.note("`_` is a wildcard pattern, not an identifier");
+                        }
+                        err
+                    }
+                })
             }
         }
     }
@@ -985,6 +994,7 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
         // Stash token for error recovery (sometimes; clone is not necessarily cheap).
         self.last_token = if self.token.is_ident() ||
                           self.token.is_path() ||
+                          self.token.is_doc_comment() ||
                           self.token == token::Comma {
             Some(Box::new(self.token.clone()))
         } else {
@@ -1076,6 +1086,11 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
     pub fn span_err(&self, sp: Span, m: &str) {
         self.sess.span_diagnostic.span_err(sp, m)
     }
+    pub fn span_err_help(&self, sp: Span, m: &str, h: &str) {
+        let mut err = self.sess.span_diagnostic.mut_span_err(sp, m);
+        err.help(h);
+        err.emit();
+    }
     pub fn span_bug(&self, sp: Span, m: &str) -> ! {
         self.sess.span_diagnostic.span_bug(sp, m)
     }
@@ -4029,8 +4044,14 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
                 None => {
                     let unused_attrs = |attrs: &[_], s: &mut Self| {
                         if attrs.len() > 0 {
-                            s.span_err(s.span,
-                                "expected statement after outer attribute");
+                            let last_token = s.last_token.clone().map(|t| *t);
+                            match last_token {
+                                Some(token::DocComment(_)) => s.span_err_help(s.last_span,
+                                    "found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything",
+                                    "doc comments must come before what they document, maybe a \
+                                    comment was intended with `//`?"),
+                                _ => s.span_err(s.span, "expected statement after outer attribute"),
+                            }
                         }
                     };
 
@@ -5198,14 +5219,13 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
                 self.bump();
             }
             token::CloseDelim(token::Brace) => {}
-            _ => {
-                let span = self.span;
-                let token_str = self.this_token_to_string();
-                return Err(self.span_fatal_help(span,
-                                     &format!("expected `,`, or `}}`, found `{}`",
-                                             token_str),
-                                     "struct fields should be separated by commas"))
-            }
+            token::DocComment(_) => return Err(self.span_fatal_help(self.span,
+                        "found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything",
+                        "doc comments must come before what they document, maybe a comment was \
+                        intended with `//`?")),
+            _ => return Err(self.span_fatal_help(self.span,
+                    &format!("expected `,`, or `}}`, found `{}`", self.this_token_to_string()),
+                    "struct fields should be separated by commas")),
         }
         Ok(a_var)
     }

src/libsyntax/parse/token.rs

@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ impl Token {
     pub fn is_lit(&self) -> bool {
         match *self {
             Literal(_, _) => true,
-            _          => false,
+            _             => false,
         }
     }
 
@@ -214,6 +214,14 @@ impl Token {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Returns `true` if the token is a documentation comment.
+    pub fn is_doc_comment(&self) -> bool {
+        match *self {
+            DocComment(..)   => true,
+            _                => false,
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Returns `true` if the token is interpolated.
     pub fn is_interpolated(&self) -> bool {
         match *self {

src/test/parse-fail/doc-after-struct-field.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z continue-parse-after-error
+struct X {
+    a: u8 /** document a */,
+    //~^ ERROR found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything
+    //~| HELP maybe a comment was intended
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let y = X {a = 1};
+}

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-extern-rbrace.rs

@@ -12,5 +12,5 @@
 
 extern {
     /// hi
+    //~^ ERROR expected item after doc comment
 }
-//~^^ ERROR expected item after doc comment

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-fn-rbrace.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z continue-parse-after-error
+fn main() {
+    /// document
+    //~^ ERROR found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything
+    //~| HELP maybe a comment was intended
+}

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-identifier.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z continue-parse-after-error
+fn /// document
+foo() {}
+//~^^ ERROR expected identifier, found `/// document`
+
+fn main() {
+    foo();
+}

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-mod-rbrace.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z continue-parse-after-error
+mod Foo {
+    /// document
+    //~^ ERROR expected item after doc comment
+}

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-rbrace.rs

@@ -12,5 +12,6 @@
 
 fn main() {
     println!("Hi"); /// hi
+    //~^ ERROR found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything
+    //~| HELP maybe a comment was intended
 }
-//~^ ERROR expected statement

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-semi.rs

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 fn main() {
     /// hi
+    //~^ ERROR found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything
+    //~| HELP maybe a comment was intended
     ;
-    //~^ ERROR expected statement
 }

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-struct-rbrace-1.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z continue-parse-after-error
+struct X {
+    a: u8,
+    /// document
+    //~^ ERROR found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything
+    //~| HELP maybe a comment was intended
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let y = X {a = 1};
+}

src/test/parse-fail/doc-before-struct-rbrace-2.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
+// http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 <LICENSE-APACHE or
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0> or the MIT license
+// <LICENSE-MIT or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>, at your
+// option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed
+// except according to those terms.
+
+// compile-flags: -Z continue-parse-after-error
+struct X {
+    a: u8 /// document
+    //~^ ERROR found a documentation comment that doesn't document anything
+    //~| HELP maybe a comment was intended
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let y = X {a = 1};
+}