Is there a typesafe alternative to String.format(...)

Question

For composing error, logging or any other String messages the String.format(...) method can be used. Unfortunately this method isn't type safe, hence the follwoing source will throw an IllegalFormatException

String s = String.format("My message has %d characters !", "30");

Is there any other alternative for composing such messages, except of the StringBuilder class.

My personal opinion is that the composed message gets harder to read by using a StringBuilder instance.

Answer 1

Using String.format() with only the %s format specifier is effectively typesafe (type opaque might be a better term) since every object will implement a toString() method, and even null objects are handled.

Of course, you have little control over the actual format of the string if you are not implementingtoString()...