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![William Biggerstaff](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e7017ae6d536ecb6123964b1ad3fb1e9?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fecs-static.teamtreehouse.com%2Fassets%2Fcontent%2Fdefault_avatar-445fbbabfc8dc9188fb5967fe43322ee0c3e0dd1e10f378bf8343784af5a13eb.webp&r=pg)
William Biggerstaff
303 PointsPlease help with this printf
If you just give the answer that’s fine, Or tell me what’s wrong PLEASE.
// I have setup a java.io.Console object for you named console
String firstName = "James";
console.printf(firstName, "can code in Java!");
2 Answers
![Steven Parker](https://uploads.teamtreehouse.com/production/profile-photos/969492/micro_tool_chess_set_2.jpg)
Steven Parker
230,688 PointsThe Preview
button can be helpful, and for this code it prints out "James" (and nothing else).
The printf method is expecting a template as a first argument, which can contain substitution tokens for places to fill in using additional arguments.
If you need a refresher you can take a look at this portion of the previous video.
![William Biggerstaff](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e7017ae6d536ecb6123964b1ad3fb1e9?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fecs-static.teamtreehouse.com%2Fassets%2Fcontent%2Fdefault_avatar-445fbbabfc8dc9188fb5967fe43322ee0c3e0dd1e10f378bf8343784af5a13eb.webp&r=pg)
William Biggerstaff
303 PointsThanks a lot! What is a template? What are sub tokens?
Steven Parker
230,688 PointsSteven Parker
230,688 PointsA "template" is the same thing as a "format string". The substitution tokens are codes like "%s" to represent where you'ld like a string to be plugged in. There are other codes for other kinds of values. The video calls these "format specifiers".
If you've resolved your original issue, you can mark a question solved by choosing a "best answer".
And happy coding!