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by oblio 2110 days ago
I'll admit it wasn't the best example.

Here, have another one:

I want to have a string with this content:

"Fluffy Nero Polly<random text> ... <random text> Trexxie"

Which one is easier to figure out and debug?

A. "${cat} ${dog} ${bird} <random text> ... <random text> ${dinosaur}"

B "%s %s %s <random text> ... <random text> %s".formatted(dog, giraffe, dinosaur, ..., cat).
2 comments
AnimalMuppet 2110 days ago
Maybe A, but not (IMO) dramatically so. But shouldn't A actually be "${cat} ${dog} ${giraffe} <random text> ... <random text> ${dinosaur}"? That makes it closer in difficulty to B.

To me, the difference shows up more with this scenario:

A: "${v1} ${v2} ${v3} ${v4}"

B1: "%s %s %s %s".formatted(v1, v2, v3)

B2: "%s %s %s %s".formatted(v1, v2, v3, v4, v5)

B3: "%s %s %s".formatted(v1, v2, v3, v4)

A does what you tell it, whether it's wrong or right. B has a chance of warning you that the argument list and the format specifier don't match. On the other hand, B gives you two things that have to be kept in sync with each other, and A can't get out of sync, since there's only one thing.

So: Less of a chance to make the error, or more of a chance to catch it. Which is better? I lean toward A, but I will admit that it seems subjective.

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RussianCow 2109 days ago
> Less of a chance to make the error, or more of a chance to catch it.

B only catches mistakes in the case that the number of parameters doesn't match the number of placeholders, which isn't even possible with A. If the string you built isn't correct, that's on you in either case, and should be immediately obvious by looking at the output. So in that sense, interpolation is strictly better than `formatted` at dealing with potential mistakes.

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Cthulhu_ 2109 days ago
Go doesn't have interpolated strings but printf / sprintf and co, and its compiler will warn and error if your arguments do not line up or have the wrong type.

I mean it's not ideal, but sprintf and co are only intended for relatively short text (like logging), if you have any more, use a templating language instead. Plenty of those in Java as well (JSP, Velocity, etc).

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