flat file
<operating system, storage> A single file containing flat ASCII
representing or encoding some structure, e.g. of a database, tree, or network.
Flat files can be processed with general purpose tools (e.g. awk or Perl) and
text editors but are often less efficient than some kind of binary file if they
must be parsed repeatedly by a program. Flat files are more portable between
different operating systems and application programs than binary files, and are
more easily transmitted in electronic mail.
See also flatten, sharchive.
[Jargon File]
(1996-01-26)
Nearby terms:
flat « flat address space « flat ASCII « flat
file » flatten » flat thunk » flavor
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