SpringJavadocCheck incorrectly detects empty line before tag

[sbrannen]

While modifying the Spring Framework build to use spring-javaformat-checkstyle 0.0.28 and Checkstyle 8.41 (see commit spring-projects/spring-framework@2567b20), I noticed that the Javadoc for a few of our methods started to trigger Checkstyle violations from the SpringJavadocCheck.

Specifically, if you have an asterisk within a code or literal element, the SpringJavadocCheck thinks it has detected an empty line before a tag, even though that is not the case.

The following reproduces the issue.

/**
 * First paragraph.
 *
 * <p>Second paragraph contains an asterisk in a code element: {@code *}.
 * @since 1.0
 */
public void springJavadocCheckError() {
}

That results in:

Method Javadoc should not have empty line before tag. [SpringJavadoc]

If you change the Javadoc to this (removing the blank line)...

/**
 * First paragraph.
 * <p>Second paragraph contains an asterisk in a code element: {@code *}.
 * @since 1.0
 */
public void springJavadocCheckError() {
}

or this (moving the asterisk outside the {@code} element)...

/**
 * First paragraph.
 *
 * <p>Second paragraph contains an asterisk in a code element: *.
 * @since 1.0
 */
public void springJavadocCheckError() {
}

... then there are no Checkstyle violations.

[sbrannen]

Thanks for the quick fix, @philwebb! 👍