The method printf(String, Object[]) in the type PrintStream is not applicable for the arguments (...)

Question

Why do I get the following compilation error with a simple call to printf? My code:

import java.util.Scanner;

public class TestCodeBankAccInputs
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        String displayName = "Bank of America Checking";
        int balance = 100;
        System.out.printf("%s has %7.2f", displayName, balance);
    }
}

On compilation I get the following error:

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.Error: Unresolved compilation problem: 
  The method printf(String, Object[]) in the type PrintStream is not applicable for the 
    arguments (String, String, double)
  at TestCodeBankAccInputs.main(TestCodeBankAccInputs.java:9)

What's causing this and how can I fix it?

Version information:

Help->About in Eclipse gives following information:

Eclipse Java EE IDE for Web Developers.

Version: Indigo Release Build id: 20110615-0604

The JDK I installed is JDK1.6.0_27

I have seen this similar issue regarding String.format. Some users have suggested it might be a build issue, but looks like I have updated versions.

Answer 1

Check that the Compiler compliance level is set to at least 1.5 for your project:

Project > Properties > Java Compiler

if Enable project specific settings is not set, use the Configue Workspace Settings... link on that page to check the global Compiler compliance level.

Answer 2

It seems peculiar that this has popped up again (same issue as the other post you linked). I wonder if there's a bug in a recent version of Eclipse? The asker on that other post never came back with any more info, so I suspect that it might have just gone away. Your code works perfectly fine. If I supply an appropriate BankAccount class, it compiles and runs as expected both in IntelliJ 10.5.2 and from the command line with javac and java, version 1.6.0_26:

import java.util.Scanner;

public class TestCodeBankAccInputs {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner inStream = new Scanner(System.in);
        BankAccount myAccount = new BankAccount(100, "Bank of America Checking");
        System.out.print("Enter a amount: ");
        double newDeposit = inStream.nextDouble();
        myAccount.deposit(newDeposit);

        System.out.printf("%s has %9.2f", myAccount.displayName(), myAccount.getBalance());
        //System.out.printf("%3s", "abc");
    }

    static class BankAccount {

        private double balance;
        private String name;

        public BankAccount(double balance, String name) {
            this.balance = balance;
            this.name = name;
        }

        public String displayName() {
            return name;
        }

        public double getBalance() {
            return balance;
        }

        public void deposit(double newDeposit) {
            this.balance += newDeposit;
        }
    }
}

I still (as I did for the other post) recommend a clean build, but have you checked your compiler compliance level in Eclipse? You can be compiling with a 1.6 JDK but still have a lower compliance level set in an IDE, which can make funny things happen.

Answer 3

A temporary fix like this might work.

Instead of using printf, use this:

System.out.printf("%s has %7.2f", new Object[]{
    myAccount.displayName(), myAccount.getBalance()
} );

This might fix your problem.