﻿---
title: Comments
description: Use a comment to annotate or explain code within a script. Use the // token anywhere on a line to specify a single-line comment. All characters from the...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/2437/reference/scripting-languages/painless/painless-comments
products:
  - Painless
---

# Comments
Use a comment to annotate or explain code within a script. Use the `//` token anywhere on a line to specify a single-line comment. All characters from the `//` token to the end of the line are ignored. Use an opening `/*` token and a closing `*/` token to specify a multi-line comment. Multi-line comments can start anywhere on a line, and all characters in between the `/*` token and `*/` token are ignored. A comment is included anywhere within a script.
**Grammar**
```text
SINGLE_LINE_COMMENT: '//' .*? [\n\r];
MULTI_LINE_COMMENT: '/*' .*? '*/';
```

**Examples**
- Single-line comments.
  ```java
  // single-line comment

  int value;
  ```
- Multi-line comments.
  ```java
  /* multi-
     line
     comment */

  int value; /* multi-
                line
                comment */ value = 0;

  int value; /* multi-line
                comment */

  /* multi-line
     comment */ int value;

  int value; /* multi-line
                comment */ value = 0;

  int value; /* multi-line comment */ value = 0;
  ```