Format descriptions define the formats of input and output data and headers. FreeForm ND provides an easy-to-use mechanism for describing data. FreeForm ND programs and FreeForm ND-based applications that you develop use these format descriptions to correctly access data. Any data file used by FreeForm ND programs must be described in a format description file.
This chapter explains how to write format descriptions for data arranged in tabular format--rows and columns--only. For data in non-tabular formats, see the next chapter.