[Fmt-*] Doc: Inconsistencies in handling of null FieldPosition in Format and subclasses

java.text.Format and its subclasses in java.text have format methods that accept FieldPosition arguments. The specifications and implementations disagree on the behavior resulting when a NullPointerException is passed in:

Format.format(Object, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: NPE; no implementation

DateFormat.format(Object, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: pass-through

DateFormat.format(Date, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; no implementation

SimpleDateFormat.format(Date, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: NPE

MessageFormat.format(Object, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: no exception

MessageFormat.format(Object[], StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: no exception

NumberFormat.format(Object, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: NPE; implementation: pass-through

NumberFormat.format(double, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; no implementation

NumberFormat.format(long, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; no implementation

DecimalFormat.format(Object, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: NPE; implementation: pass-through

DecimalFormat.format(double, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: NPE

DecimalFormat.format(long, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: NPE

ChoiceFormat.format(double, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: no exception

ChoiceFormat.format(long, StringBuffer, FieldPosition):
specification: unspecified; implementation: pass-through

The specifications and implementations need to be made consistent. Allowing null FieldPositions in general seems the best approach.
###@###.### 2005-03-03 02:45:20 GMT