Abstract: An apparatus, method and article of manufacture of the present invention provide the ability to rapidly format and reformat tabular displays of records or text data objects organized according to the preferences of the user. The invention provides simplified, interactive means for naming categories or parameters associated with each text data object, for assigning values to each parameter for each text data object, and for constructing a sort order for displaying the text data objects. The features of the present invention allow a user, without need for specialized training or a user manual, rapidly to view the same or different sets of text data objects from differing perspectives, without cumbersome steps that could interrupt the user's line of thought.