title: Do I really need JavaDoc/Comments for every part of my code?
body: <p>I'm writing a Java Application for my final year CS undergrad project at uni. In the previous years we have been told that using CheckStyle for our code is a MUST. However, I'm finding that using the default CheckStyle configuration requires me to write a JavaDoc for EVERY thing. Even obvious instance fields and methods where the name and the actual code is sufficiently descriptive of what that piece of code does, requires me to write JavaDoc comments. </p>
  
  <p>I honestly find this repetitive and just cluttering my code. Without all of these comments I find my code MUCH more readable and shorter which gives me a better overview when I need to look over classes etc. </p>
  
  <p>The problem is that, if checkstyle highlights it as a problem (missing JavaDoc) and we have been told to use CheckStyle with no exception, then I suspect I would lose marks which is the last thing I want. I quote from the excellent book:
  Martin, Robert C. (2008-08-01). Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship (p. 54). Pearson Education (USA). </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>The proper use of comments is to compensate for our failure to express ourself in code. Note that I used the word failure. I meant it. Comments are always failures. We must have them because we cannot always figure out how to express ourselves without them, but their use is not a cause for celebration. So when you find yourself in a position where you need to write a comment, think it through and see whether there isn’t some way to turn the tables and express yourself in code. Every time you express yourself in code, you should pat yourself on the back. Every time you write a comment, you should grimace and feel the failure of your ability of expression. Why am I so down on comments? Because they lie. Not always, and not intentionally, but too often. The older a comment is, and the farther away it is from the code it describes, the more likely it is to be just plain wrong. The reason is simple. Programmers can’t realistically maintain them.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>I can't say how wholeheartedly I agree with the above. The comments are just nothing but mess in my eyes. Where relevant , I DO have comments.</p>
  
  <p>So, my question boils down to the following: Should I stick with my own belief and knowdledge/advice gained from reading the above book, or should I comply with the CheckStyle standard and eliminate the risk of being marked down from the lack of JavaDoc comments ? </p>