<P> In this form, all the text from the ASCII characters / / to the end of the line is ignored . </P> <P> Different styles can be chosen for different areas of code, from individual lines to paragraphs, routines, files, and programs . If the syntax supports both line comments and block comments, one method is to use line comments only for minor comments (declarations, blocks and edits) and to use block comments to describe higher - level abstractions (functions, classes, files and modules). </P> <P> Sometimes projects try to enforce rules like "one comment every ten lines". These kinds of rules can be counterproductive when too rigorous, but may provide a useful standard of measurement and consistency if the project participants deem it necessary . </P> <P> Inline comments using the characters / / were part of the BCPL language . However, when Dennis Ritchie re-implemented BCPL as the B language, he chose to use PL / I's / * block comments instead . This choice continued in the C language, Ritchie's successor to B. Inline comments using / / reappeared in C++ (itself a successor to C), which influenced their adoption in the 1999 standard of the C language . </P>

What is the function of comments in java