Best way to do Python string format

gistfile1.py

# Python 2.6+
# After Python 2.6, you can choose to use .format() function or the old %.
>>> '{0}, {1}, {2}'.format('a', 'b', 'c')
'a, b, c'
>>> '{2}, {1}, {0}'.format('a', 'b', 'c')
'c, b, a'
>>> '{2}, {1}, {0}'.format(*'abc')      # unpacking argument sequence
'c, b, a'
>>> '{0}{1}{0}'.format('abra', 'cad')   # arguments' indices can be repeated
'abracadabra'
>>> 'Coordinates: {latitude}, {longitude}'.format(latitude='37.24N', longitude='-115.81W')
'Coordinates: 37.24N, -115.81W'
>>> coord = {'latitude': '37.24N', 'longitude': '-115.81W'}
>>> 'Coordinates: {latitude}, {longitude}'.format(**coord)
'Coordinates: 37.24N, -115.81W'

# Python 2.7+
# After Python 2.7, positional argument specifiers can be omitted, '{} {}' is equivalent to '{0} {1}'.
>>> '{}, {}, {}'.format('a', 'b', 'c')  # 2.7+ only
'a, b, c'

# ~Python 2.6
# Templates are introduced in Python 2.4, however, Templates make the code verbose and hard to read.
>>> from string import Template
>>> s = Template('$who likes $what')
>>> s.substitute(who='tim', what='kung pao')
'tim likes kung pao'
>>> d = dict(who='tim')
>>> Template('Give $who $100').substitute(d)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
ValueError: Invalid placeholder in string: line 1, col 11
>>> Template('$who likes $what').substitute(d)
Traceback (most recent call last):
...
KeyError: 'what'
>>> Template('$who likes $what').safe_substitute(d)
'tim likes $what'