Abstract: There is disclosed a message formatting arrangement which allows messages from a central processor to be distributed over a bus to a plurality of remote processors using a single address presentation for any message without regard to the byte length of the message. Each message consists of a variable number of sub-messages each having a 3-bit qualifier which specifies the sub-message type. Each remote processor is capable of determining the length of each sub-message depending jointly upon the value of the qualifier and upon the context byte which precedes each group of sub-messages. The remote processors having the capability of skipping over a variable number of idle frames without beginning to process a new message.