17. The system of claim 13 , wherein at least some of said formatting descriptions include a composite artifact configured to render said output in a particular arrangement.
13. A system for outputting formatted information comprising: a memory configured to store: an input data text file comprising a plurality of name/value pairs; a computer program including a formatting source code for producing an output in a first format; and a plurality of recipe text files built using a rule-based grammar and comprising a plurality of formatting descriptions, at least some of said formatting descriptions indicating a name link to one or more of said plurality of name/value pairs; and a processer configured to execute an execution program configured to: select a recipe text file from said plurality of recipe text files based on information contained in said input data text file; convert said selected recipe text file into a sequence of executable objects; receive a request from said computer program for rendering said output; and in response to said request, execute said sequence of executable objects to render one or more of said plurality of name/value pairs into said output in a second format in accordance with said plurality of formatting descriptions, without modifying said formatting source code.