// Format number as dates e.g., 2004-06-28
System.out.printf("%1$4d-%2$02d-%3$2d%n", 2004, 6, 28);
// Format fields directly from a Date object: multiple fields from "1$"
// (hard-coded formatting for Date not advisable; see I18N chapter)
Date today = Calendar.getInstance().getTime();
System.out.printf("Today is %1$tB %1$td, %1$tY%n", today); // e.g., July 4, 2004
