Feature request: link to source from javadoc

[Vikram Bakshi]

Hello javadoc developers,

Apologies if this is the wrong place for this type of message - I did not
know where else to reach out.

I have a feature request which I would like to propose for a future javadoc
version: a link to the actual source code of the definition within the
produced javadoc.

Something similar to what Haskell produces is what I am thinking. See here:
https://hackage.haskell.org/package/base-4.16.0.0/docs/Prelude.html#g:27

You see the type signatures of the functions and their description just
like how it would be for the javadoc produced for a class, but on the right
there is also a button for '#' and 'Source'. The source button feature is
what I am requesting. It takes you straight to the code where the actual
definition is.

This has been really useful to me when learning Haskell and would also be
useful for beginners who are learning Java. Obviously there would need to
be some kind of link to the source code and making that linking mechanism
is not trivial. Sometimes projects which do not intend to be open source
may not even want that link generated, etc. There are lots of non-trivial
points on what an implementation would look like.

The linking in the javadoc would not just be useful for people who are
learning java. For those of us, like me, who have been programming with
Java for many years there are lots of times where we want to go from the
javadoc to the actual implementation and we are forced to find the repo on
github and navigate the package structure to get to the actual class and
search for the definition and implementation there. This would make things
simpler.

Please let me know what you think of the idea (total garbage idea, useful
but not priority, etc). I am interested in hearing your thoughts and
responses.

Regards,
Vikram
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