(1) The arrangement or layout of data in a data medium.
(2) The shape, size, printing requirements, and general makeup of a printed document or presentation display.
(3) The definition of the internal structure of a message, in terms of the fields and the order of those fields. A format can be self-defining, in which case the message is interpreted dynamically when it is read.
(4) In message queuing, a term used to identify the nature of application data in a message.
(5) To arrange information on a page, in a file, or on a display screen.
(6) To prepare a diskette for use by a computer, by creating an addressing scheme for data storage.