TAB
Generated by scripts/gen-format-pages.py from docs/data/format-metadata/, FILE_FORMATS.csv and docs/formats-master.csv. Do not edit by hand: change the source, then run the script.
MapInfo TAB Preview.
At a glance
| Purpose | A MapInfo TAB header file: the version, character set, storage type and field schema of a MapInfo table, or a raster registration. |
| Extensions | .tab |
| Poka parser | poka-tab |
| Viewer | poka-workbook-viewer |
| Depth tier | Parser with a shared viewer (see Depth tiers) |
| Breadth tier | B2 Broad (see Breadth tiers) |
How much Poka reads
B2 Broad. The common content of the current and the common older versions is decoded. Some named features or versions are not, and are listed.
Confidence: medium (the reviewer read the code). Basis: Reviewed 2026-10-26: read parsers/poka-tab/src/main.rs (571 lines) and plugin.json. Six unit tests cover header fields, DBF-backed tables, coordinate-system naming, non-MapInfo .tab files, field order and raster control points; the corpus has eight .tab samples, read by no test. Covers .tab. The workbook shows the version, charset, storage type and every field with its type and size, and for raster tables the image file, control points and coordinate system; other .tab files (tablature, tab-separated text) get their first lines. Judgement: B2: the header file is decoded; the geometry and data live in sidecar files.
What Poka does not read
- The geometry (.map), data (.dat) and index (.id) sidecars are not read: the sandbox gives the parser only the .tab
- Coordinate systems are named only where the parser is sure
- Seamless and view tables are shown as plain headers (judgement from the code)
Libraries
Libraries Poka uses or has assessed for this format, with the status, licence and language the registry records.
- GDAL MITAB driver (candidate; MIT (LICENSE.TXT); C++; https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/tree/master/ogr/ogrsf_frmts/mitab)
Sources
- parsers/poka-tab/src/main.rs
- parsers/poka-tab/plugin.json