Output formatting basics in Java - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Output formatting basics

📖 Scenario: You are creating a simple Java program to display a person's name and age in a clear and friendly way. This is like writing a small introduction card.

🎯 Goal: Build a Java program that stores a person's name and age, then prints a formatted sentence introducing the person.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a variable for the person's name

Create a variable for the person's age

Use System.out.printf to print the formatted output

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Output formatting is used in many programs to show information clearly, like printing reports, messages, or user data.

💼 Career

Knowing how to format output is a basic skill for software developers, especially when creating user interfaces or logs.

1

Create variables for name and age

Create a String variable called name and set it to "Alice". Create an int variable called age and set it to 30.

Java

// Your code here

Need a hint?

Use String name = "Alice"; and int age = 30; inside the main method.

2

Add a format string

Create a String variable called format and set it to "My name is %s and I am %d years old.".

Java

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String name = "Alice";
        int age = 30;
        // Your code here
    }
}

Need a hint?

Use String format = "My name is %s and I am %d years old."; to prepare the format.

3

Print formatted output using printf

Use System.out.printf with the format string, passing name and age as arguments.

Java

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String name = "Alice";
        int age = 30;
        String format = "My name is %s and I am %d years old.";
        // Your code here
    }
}

Need a hint?

Use System.out.printf(format, name, age); to print the formatted sentence.

4

Print a newline after the formatted output

Add System.out.println() after the printf line to move to the next line.

Java

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String name = "Alice";
        int age = 30;
        String format = "My name is %s and I am %d years old.";
        System.out.printf(format, name, age);
        // Your code here
    }
}

Need a hint?

Use System.out.println(); to print a newline after the formatted text.