1. A method for controlling the displays of a digital computer system, the system comprising: main memory means for storing machine language instructions and data; processing means for performing operations on data in response to the machine-language instructions, said processing means including a scratchpad memory; display means for displaying representations of data; the method comprising the steps of: (a) identifying a form descriptor to said processing means, said form descriptor for describing organization of data to be displayed; (b) identifying a machine language instruction to said processing means, said machine language instruction specifying first data and specifying representations of first data which are to be displayed, and for describing the position within the organization described by the form descriptors at which the representations of the first data are to be displayed; (c) determining whether or not said form descriptor is stored in internal form in either the scratchpad memory or said main memory means; (d) transforming said form descriptor to internal form, if necessary; (e) transferring the form descriptor in internal form into the scratchpad memory if it is not already there; (f) calculating, in the processing means, second certain data determined by said machine-language instruction, said form descriptor in the scratchpad memory and certain first data specified by said machine-language instruction, the second certain data being a representation of what is to be displayed; and (g) forwarding the second certain data to the display means for representations of the second certain data to be displayed.