How to print % in Java using String.format

By Sai Venkat Kodithyala

In this tutorial, we are learning how to print % in Java using String.format function.

How to print % in String.format

To print ‘%’ in String.format we need to use two times the’ %’ symbol in the string format parameter. That is ‘%%’.

String s6=String.format("The percentage scored in my exam is %.2f%%",86.92);
System.out.println(s6);

The output looks like this:

The percentage scored in my exam is 86.92%

What is the String.format function?

String.format is the most common method for formatting a string in java. It is available in java.lang package and it is a default package that is automatically imported in the java program.

Using String.format function for formatting

String.format takes two parameters.

public static String format(String format,Object args)

• format is for formatting the string
• args is used for specifying the number of arguments

public class StringFormattingDemo 
{
  public static void main(String args[])
       {    
    String s1=String.format("name is %s","CodeSpeedy");  
    String s2=String.format("value is %f",92.461248);  
    String s3=String.format("value is %.12f",92.461248);
    String s4=String.format("value is %32f",92.461248);
    String s5=String.format("value is %32.12f",92.461248);
    System.out.println(s1);  
    System.out.println(s2);  
    System.out.println(s3);  
    System.out.println(s4);
    System.out.println(s5);
  }
}  

Here, I have Initialized a variable with String.format and in it, the parameters are format and args. In format parameter  ‘%’ symbol with an alphabet is called a format specifier. The most common format specifiers are:

• %d -> Integer
• %f -> Float
• %s -> String
• %o -> octal number
• %x -> hexadecimal number
• %c -> Character

The output looks like this:

name is CodeSpeedy
value is 92.461248
value is 92.461248000000
value is                    92.461248
value is              92.461248000000

Also read: Difference between print() and println() in Java