What is a format specifier?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question: What is a format specifier?

Options:
1) A format specifier is a Java feature used to control access modifiers and visibility of class members.
2) A format specifier is a special character used in regular expressions to match specific patterns in strings.
3) A format specifier is a keyword used to declare and define a custom data type in Java.
4) A format specifier is a placeholder used in formatting strings to specify where and how data should be inserted into the string.

Option 1 analysis: This statement describes access modifiers and visibility controls, which are part of the language syntax but have nothing to do with format specifiers. It confuses formatting placeholders with access control mechanisms. Therefore, this is incorrect.

Option 2 analysis: Regular expressions use metacharacters and special sequences to describe patterns, but a format specifier is not a regex token; it refers to how values are inserted into strings, not pattern matching. Thus this is incorrect.

Option 3 analysis: Declaring and defining a custom data type in Java involves classes and type definitions, not format specifiers. This mischaracterizes the purpose of format specifiers. Hence this is incorrect.

Option 4 analysis: This accurately describes a format specifier as a placeholder used in formatting strings to indicate where data should be placed and how it should be represented (e.g., width, precision). This aligns with common programming concepts across languages that support string formatting. Therefore this is correct.

What is a format specifier?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Consider the following code segment: x = 12 print("%d%%" % x) The output generated by this code segment is:

The line of code that displays the floating point number stored in the variable x using 3 decimal places is:

What is a format specifier?

With advanced string formatting, a format specification can include an alignment character that determines how a value should be aligned within the width of the field.

Question at position 1 What will the following code print? item = "apple" quantity = 4 price = 0.5print(f"{quantity} {item}s cost ${quantity * price:.2f}.")4 apple cost $2.00.4 apples cost $2.4 apples cost $2.00.4 apples cost 2.00 dollars.Clear my selection

Question at position 1 What will the following code print? a = 5 b = 10 print("The sum of {} and {} is {}.".format(a, b, a+b))The sum of 5 and 10 is 15.The sum of a and b is a + b.The sum of a and b is 15.The sum of 5 and 10 is 5 + 10.Clear my selection

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler