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  1. JDK
  2. JDK-8195162

doclet creates links in serialized form to inaccessible elements

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    • Icon: Bug Bug
    • Resolution: Not an Issue
    • Icon: P3 P3
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    • 8u112, 9, 10
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      This appears to be a long-standing but nevertheless significant bug in the doclet.

      `@see member` will cause a See Also to be generated even when the referenced member is not being documented. This creates a broken link.

      For example, look at various members in java.awt.BorderLayout, which have
           * @see #getChild(String, boolean)
      But here is the definition of getChild:
          private Component getChild(String key, boolean ltr) {

      Now look at https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/serialized-form.html#java.awt.BorderLayout
      Setting aside that it is regrettably necessary to document internal fields, these fields have a See Also to undocumented methods, like BorderLayout::getChild

      The same problem continues to exist on JDK 9
      avase/9/docs/api/serialized-form.html#java.awt.BorderLayout

      While one might try and dismiss the importance of the serialized-form page, the fact that the doclet is creating broken links is a big deal, since it diminishes the effectiveness of link checkers.

            hannesw Hannes Wallnoefer
            jjg Jonathan Gibbons
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