formatinformation
Formatinformation is a term used in computing to describe metadata that defines how to interpret data. It encompasses information that accompanies a data stream, file, or protocol to indicate encoding schemes, versioning, structure, or other parameters necessary for correct decoding, rendering, or processing. The exact meaning of format information varies by domain, but it generally supports interoperability by allowing different systems to agree on how data should be handled.
A prominent example is format information in QR codes. In QR codes, the format information is a
Beyond QR codes, format information appears in many contexts as metadata that describes data encoding and layout.