diff --git a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.js b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.js
index ad0480ca71..9b5f9a9cf0 100644
--- a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.js
+++ b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ var entities = require('entities');
  * {@example core/application_spec.ts -region=hello-app -header='Sample component' }
  * @kind function
  */
-module.exports = function exampleInlineTagDef(parseArgString, createDocMessage, getExampleRegion) {
+module.exports = function exampleInlineTagDef(parseArgString, createDocMessage) {
   return {
     name: 'example',
     description:
@@ -24,14 +24,17 @@ module.exports = function exampleInlineTagDef(parseArgString, createDocMessage,
       var relativePath = unnamedArgs[0];
       var regionName = tagArgs.region || (unnamedArgs.length > 1 ? unnamedArgs[1] : '');
       if (regionName === '\'\'') regionName = '';
-      var header = tagArgs.header || (unnamedArgs.length > 2 ? unnamedArgs.slice(2).join(' ') : null);
+      var header = tagArgs.header || (unnamedArgs.length > 2 ? unnamedArgs.slice(2).join(' ') : '');
       var linenums = tagArgs.linenums;
       // var stylePattern = tagArgs.stylePattern;  // TODO: not yet implemented here
 
-      const sourceCode = getExampleRegion(doc, relativePath, regionName);
+      if (!relativePath) {
+        throw new Error(createDocMessage(
+          `Missing required "path" on @${tagName} inline tag "{@${tagName} ${tagDescription}}".\n` +
+          'Usage: {@example some/path [some-region [Some header [linenums="true|false"]]]}', doc));
+      }
 
-      const attributes = [];
-      if (relativePath) attributes.push(` path="${relativePath}"`);
+      const attributes = [` path="${relativePath}"`];
       if (regionName) attributes.push(` region="${regionName}"`);
       if (header) attributes.push(` header="${header}"`);
       if (linenums !== undefined) attributes.push(` linenums="${linenums}"`);
@@ -40,8 +43,7 @@ module.exports = function exampleInlineTagDef(parseArgString, createDocMessage,
       // in order to throw an appropriate error in `renderExamples` later.
       if (tagArgs.title) attributes.push(` title="${tagArgs.title}"`);
 
-      return '<code-example' + attributes.join('') + '>\n' + sourceCode + '\n</code-example>';
+      return '<code-example' + attributes.join('') + '></code-example>';
     }
   };
 };
-
diff --git a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.spec.js b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.spec.js
index 296d809cc8..9421686d18 100644
--- a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.spec.js
+++ b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/inline-tag-defs/example.spec.js
@@ -2,14 +2,12 @@ var testPackage = require('../../helpers/test-package');
 var Dgeni = require('dgeni');
 
 describe('example inline-tag-def', function() {
-  let injector, tag, collectExamples, exampleMap;
+  let tag;
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     const dgeni = new Dgeni([testPackage('examples-package', true)]);
-    injector = dgeni.configureInjector();
+    const injector = dgeni.configureInjector();
     tag = injector.get('exampleInlineTagDef');
-    collectExamples = injector.get('collectExamples');
-    exampleMap = injector.get('exampleMap');
   });
 
   it('should be available as a service', () => {
@@ -20,62 +18,63 @@ describe('example inline-tag-def', function() {
   describe('handler', () => {
     let handler;
 
-    beforeEach(() => {
-      handler = tag.handler;
-      collectExamples.exampleFolders = ['examples'];
-      exampleMap['examples'] = {
-        'test/url': { regions: {
-          '': { renderedContent: 'whole file' },
-          'region-1': { renderedContent: 'region 1 contents' }
-        } }
-      };
+    beforeEach(() => handler = tag.handler);
+
+    it('should throw if no path is specified add the specified path', () => {
+      expect(() => handler({}, 'example', '')).toThrowError(
+        'Missing required "path" on @example inline tag "{@example }".\n' +
+        'Usage: {@example some/path [some-region [Some header [linenums="true|false"]]]} - doc');
+
+      const tagDescription = 'region=\'region-1\' header="Some Header" linenums="true"';
+      expect(() => handler({}, 'example', tagDescription)).toThrowError(
+        `Missing required "path" on @example inline tag "{@example ${tagDescription}}".\n` +
+        'Usage: {@example some/path [some-region [Some header [linenums="true|false"]]]} - doc');
     });
 
-    it('should throw an error if there is no matching example', () => {
-      expect(function() {
-        handler({}, 'example', 'missing/uri');
-      }).toThrowError();
-
-      expect(function() {
-        handler({}, 'example', 'test/url missing-region');
-      }).toThrowError();
-    });
-
-    it('should contain the whole contents from the example file if no region is specified', () => {
-      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url')).toEqual('<code-example path="test/url">\nwhole file\n</code-example>');
-    });
-
-    it('should contain the region contents from the example file if a region is specified', () => {
+    it('should add a region if specified', () => {
       expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url region-1')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1">\nregion 1 contents\n</code-example>');
+        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1"></code-example>');
+
+      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url -region=\'region-1\'')).toEqual(
+        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1"></code-example>');
+
+      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url region="region-1"')).toEqual(
+        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1"></code-example>');
+    });
+
+    it('should add no region if an empty (\'\') region is specified', () => {
+      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url \'\'')).toEqual(
+        '<code-example path="test/url"></code-example>');
+
+      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url \'\' Some Header')).toEqual(
+        '<code-example path="test/url" header="Some Header"></code-example>');
     });
 
     it('should add a header if specified', () => {
       expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url region-1 \'Some Header\'')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1" header="Some Header">\nregion 1 contents\n</code-example>');
+        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1" header="Some Header"></code-example>');
+
       expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url region-1 Some Header')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1" header="Some Header">\nregion 1 contents\n</code-example>');
+        '<code-example path="test/url" region="region-1" header="Some Header"></code-example>');
+
+      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url header="Some Header"')).toEqual(
+        '<code-example path="test/url" header="Some Header"></code-example>');
     });
 
-    it('should contain the whole contents from the example file if an empty ("") region is specified', () => {
-      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url \'\'')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url">\nwhole file\n</code-example>');
-      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url \'\' Some Header')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" header="Some Header">\nwhole file\n</code-example>');
-    });
-
-    it('should add in linenum attribute if specified', () => {
+    it('should add a linenum attribute if specified', () => {
       expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url --linenums=\'false\'')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" linenums="false">\nwhole file\n</code-example>');
-      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url --linenums=\'true\'')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" linenums="true">\nwhole file\n</code-example>');
-      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url --linenums=\'15\'')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" linenums="15">\nwhole file\n</code-example>');
+        '<code-example path="test/url" linenums="false"></code-example>');
+
+      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url -linenums=\'true\'')).toEqual(
+        '<code-example path="test/url" linenums="true"></code-example>');
+
+      expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url linenums=\'15\'')).toEqual(
+        '<code-example path="test/url" linenums="15"></code-example>');
     });
 
     it('should preserve the title if specified', () => {
       expect(handler({}, 'example', 'test/url title="Some Title"')).toEqual(
-        '<code-example path="test/url" title="Some Title">\nwhole file\n</code-example>');
+        '<code-example path="test/url" title="Some Title"></code-example>');
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/services/getExampleRegion.js b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/services/getExampleRegion.js
index ebf09c241f..62defda9ba 100644
--- a/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/services/getExampleRegion.js
+++ b/aio/tools/transforms/examples-package/services/getExampleRegion.js
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ module.exports = function getExampleRegion(exampleMap, createDocMessage, collect
     // If still no file then we error
     if (!exampleFile) {
       const gitIgnoreFile = collectExamples.isExampleIgnored(relativePath);
-      if( gitIgnoreFile) {
+      if (gitIgnoreFile) {
         const message = createDocMessage('Ignored example file... relativePath: "' + relativePath + '"', doc) + '\n' +
         'This example file exists but has been ignored by a rule, in "' + gitIgnoreFile + '".';
         throw new Error(message);