很多人都有一些非常有趣的技巧，但我喜欢保持简单，所以我用这个:

public static String padRight(String s, int n, char padding){
    StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder(s.length() + n);
    builder.append(s);
    for(int i = 0; i < n; i++){
        builder.append(padding);
    }
    return builder.toString();
}

public static String padLeft(String s, int n,  char padding) {
    StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder(s.length() + n);
    for(int i = 0; i < n; i++){
        builder.append(Character.toString(padding));
    }
    return builder.append(s).toString();
}

public static String pad(String s, int n, char padding){
    StringBuilder pad = new StringBuilder(s.length() + n * 2);
    StringBuilder value = new StringBuilder(n);
    for(int i = 0; i < n; i++){
        pad.append(padding);
    }
    return value.append(pad).append(s).append(pad).toString();
}

看看org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils#rightPad(String str, int size, char padChar)。

但算法非常简单(填充到字符大小):

public String pad(String str, int size, char padChar)
{
  StringBuilder padded = new StringBuilder(str);
  while (padded.length() < size)
  {
    padded.append(padChar);
  }
  return padded.toString();
}

从Java 1.5开始，string. format()可以用于左/右填充给定的字符串。

public static String padRight(String s, int n) {
     return String.format("%-" + n + "s", s);  
}

public static String padLeft(String s, int n) {
    return String.format("%" + n + "s", s);  
}

...

public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {
 System.out.println(padRight("Howto", 20) + "*");
 System.out.println(padLeft("Howto", 20) + "*");
}

输出为:

Howto               *
               Howto*

另一种利用递归的解决方案。

这与所有JDK版本兼容，不需要外部库:

private static String addPadding(final String str, final int desiredLength, final String padBy) {
    String result = str;
    if (str.length() >= desiredLength) {
        return result;
    } else {
        result += padBy;
        return addPadding(result, desiredLength, padBy);
    }
}

注意:这个解决方案将附加填充，与一个小调整，你可以前缀填充值。

s =字符串填充 n =期望长度 c = Char到pad

private String padStart( String s, int n, char c ){
    if( n <= 0 ) return s;
    else return String.format("%" + n + "s", s).replace(' ', c);
}

我花了一点时间才想明白。 真正的关键是阅读Formatter文档。

// Get your data from wherever.
final byte[] data = getData();
// Get the digest engine.
final MessageDigest md5= MessageDigest.getInstance("MD5");
// Send your data through it.
md5.update(data);
// Parse the data as a positive BigInteger.
final BigInteger digest = new BigInteger(1,md5.digest());
// Pad the digest with blanks, 32 wide.
String hex = String.format(
    // See: http://download.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/api/java/util/Formatter.html
    // Format: %[argument_index$][flags][width]conversion
    // Conversion: 'x', 'X'  integral    The result is formatted as a hexadecimal integer
    "%1$32x",
    digest
);
// Replace the blank padding with 0s.
hex = hex.replace(" ","0");
System.out.println(hex);