INTRODUCTION TO OBJECTS AND INPUT/OUTPUT - Java Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design - page 137

For example, consider the following statements:
System.out.println("123456789012345678901234567890"); //Line 1

System.out.printf("%-15s *** %n", "Java Program."); //Line 2

The output of these statements is:

123456789012345678901234567890
Java Program. ***
Notice that the string "Java Program." is printed in 15 columns and the output is left
justified. Because in Line 2, in the format specifier, there is a space between s and *** ,
the sixteenth column is left blank. Then, *** is printed.
The following example further clarifies this.

3

EXAMPLE 3-7

public class Example3_7
{

public static void main(String[] args)
{

int num = 763; //Line 1

double x = 658.75; //Line 2

String str = "Java Program."; //Line 3

System.out.println("1234567890123456789"
+ "01234567890"); //Line 4

System.out.printf("%-5d%-7.2f%-15s ***%n",
num, x, str); //Line 5

System.out.printf("%-15s%-6d%-9.2f ***%n",
str, num, x); //Line 6

System.out.printf("%-8.2f%-7d%-15s ***%n",
x, num, str); //Line 7

System.out.printf("num = %-5d ***%n", num); //Line 8
System.out.printf("x = %-10.2f ***%n", x); //Line 9
System.out.printf("str = %-15s ***%n", str); //Line 10
System.out.printf("%-10s%-7d ***%n",
"Program No.", 4); //Line 11

}

}

Sample Run:
123456789012345678901234567890
763

658.75 Java Program.

***

Java Program. 763 658.75

***

658.75 763 Java Program.

***

num = 763 ***
x = 658.75 ***
str = Java Program.

***

Program No.4

***