Codavaj

Codavaj is a reverse engineering tool with a primary focus on Javadoc. While it may seem like a useless tool, it can be incredibly valuable to the most hardcore Java hackers. In fact, it's a must-have in every geek's software toolbox, as noted in entry number 151776 of the Hitchhiker's Guide.

Currently, Codavaj is distributed as a command line tool using the org.codavaj.Main class. It's a 100% Java tool that offers users a range of functionalities, including the ability to convert an entire local Javadoc tree into Java source code or download an entire remote Javadoc tree via HTTP(S). Users can also derive a Reflection-like API based on information derived from a Javadoc tree.

Codavaj works by converting Javadoc HTML into XML using Nekohtml and deriving class information from the XML in successive steps by using XPATH queries. While Codavaj may not be helpful if you lose the sources for some code, it's still useful if you have the Javadoc for it. However, keep in mind that Codavaj leaves you with a TODO for each method implementation.

For hobby programmers, Codavaj could be an interesting intellectual challenge and a side battle in their grand master plan. The tool can also improve XPATH query skills a bit. The initial version of Codavaj took two full working weeks to create. If you've ever needed this tool, it's likely that someone out there might need it too. In fact, it could save them those two weeks of work.