The structure of a computer file. There are hundreds of different formats for data (databases, word processing, spreadsheets, images, video, etc.). There are also formats for executable programs on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, etc.). Each format defines how the sequence of bits and bytes are laid out, with the ASCII text file being the simplest (see ASCII file). See native format, foreign format, graphics formats, record layout, codec examples and extension.

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