diff --git a/include/villas/sample.h b/include/villas/sample.h
index b2d7fdf47..b7c7908d5 100644
--- a/include/villas/sample.h
+++ b/include/villas/sample.h
@@ -26,13 +26,9 @@ struct pool;
 /** The offset to the beginning of the data section. */
 #define SAMPLE_DATA_OFFSET(smp)	((char *) (smp) + offsetof(struct sample, data))
 
-/** These flags define the format which is used by sample_fscan() and sample_fprint(). */
-enum sample_flags {
-	SAMPLE_NANOSECONDS	= 1,
-	SAMPLE_OFFSET		= 2,
-	SAMPLE_SEQUENCE		= 4,
-	SAMPLE_VALUES		= 8,
-	SAMPLE_ALL		= 16-1
+enum sample_data_format {
+	SAMPLE_DATA_FORMAT_FLOAT= 0,
+	SAMPLE_DATA_FORMAT_INT	= 1
 };
 
 struct sample {
@@ -50,6 +46,8 @@ struct sample {
 		struct timespec received;	/**< The point in time when this data was received. */
 		struct timespec sent;		/**< The point in time this data was send for the last time. */
 	} ts;
+	
+	uint64_t format;	/**< A long bitfield indicating the number representation of the first 64 values in sample::data[] */
 
 	/** The values. */
 	union {
@@ -72,42 +70,8 @@ int sample_get(struct sample *s);
 /** Decrease reference count and release memory if last reference was held. */
 int sample_put(struct sample *s);
 
-/** Print a sample in human readable form to a file stream.
- *
- * @param buf A character buffer of len bytes.
- * @param len The size of buf.
- * @param m A pointer to the sample.
- * @param flags See sample_flags.
- * @return Number of bytes written to buf.
- */
-int sample_print(char *buf, size_t len, struct sample *s, int flags);
+/** Set number representation for a single value of a sample. */
+int sample_get_data_format(struct sample *s, int idx);
 
-/** Read a sample from a character buffer.
- *
- * @param line A string which should be parsed.
- * @param s A pointer to the sample.
- * @param flags et SAMPLE_* flags for each component found in sample if not NULL. See sample_flags.
- * @retval 0 Success. Everything went well.
- * @retval <0 Error. Something went wrong.
- */
-int sample_scan(const char *line, struct sample *s, int *fl);
-
-/** Print a sample in human readable form to a file stream.
- *
- * @see sample_print()
- * @param f The file handle from fopen() or stdout, stderr.
- * @param s A pointer to the sample.
- * @retval 0 Success. Everything went well.
- * @retval <0 Error. Something went wrong.
- */
-int sample_fprint(FILE *f, struct sample *s, int flags);
-
-/** Read a sample from a file stream.
- *
- * @see sample_scan()
- * @param f The file handle from fopen() or stdin.
- * @param s A pointer to the sample.
- * @retval 0 Success. Everything went well.
- * @retval <0 Error. Something went wrong.
- */
-int sample_fscan(FILE *f, struct sample *s, int *flags);
\ No newline at end of file
+/** Get number representation for a single value of a sample. */
+int sample_set_data_format(struct sample *s, int idx, enum sample_data_format fmt);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/nodes/file.c b/lib/nodes/file.c
index 8c8248fb3..0b540f486 100644
--- a/lib/nodes/file.c
+++ b/lib/nodes/file.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "timing.h"
 #include "queue.h"
 #include "plugin.h"
+#include "sample_io.h"
 
 int file_reverse(struct node *n)
 {
@@ -206,7 +207,7 @@ int file_start(struct node *n)
 
 		/* Get timestamp of first line */
 		struct sample s;
-		int ret = sample_fscan(f->read.handle->file, &s, NULL); arewind(f->read.handle);
+		int ret = sample_io_villas_fscan(f->read.handle->file, &s, NULL); arewind(f->read.handle);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			error("Failed to read first timestamp of node %s", node_name(n));
 		
@@ -274,7 +275,7 @@ int file_read(struct node *n, struct sample *smps[], unsigned cnt)
 	assert(f->read.handle);
 	assert(cnt == 1);
 
-retry:	values = sample_fscan(f->read.handle->file, s, &flags); /* Get message and timestamp */
+retry:	values = sample_io_villas_fscan(f->read.handle->file, s, &flags); /* Get message and timestamp */
 	if (values < 0) {
 		if (afeof(f->read.handle)) {
 			if (f->read.split) {
@@ -329,7 +330,7 @@ int file_write(struct node *n, struct sample *smps[], unsigned cnt)
 		info("Splitted output node %s: chunk=%u", node_name(n), f->write.chunk);
 	}
 		
-	sample_fprint(f->write.handle->file, s, SAMPLE_ALL & ~SAMPLE_OFFSET);
+	sample_io_villas_fprint(f->write.handle->file, s, SAMPLE_IO_ALL & ~SAMPLE_IO_OFFSET);
 	afflush(f->write.handle);
 
 	return 1;
diff --git a/lib/sample.c b/lib/sample.c
index 73005d05f..331a776cf 100644
--- a/lib/sample.c
+++ b/lib/sample.c
@@ -4,13 +4,11 @@
  * @copyright 2017, Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems, EONERC
  *********************************************************************************/
 
-#include <ctype.h>
-
 #include "pool.h"
 #include "sample.h"
-#include "timing.h"
 
-int sample_alloc(struct pool *p, struct sample *smps[], int cnt) {
+int sample_alloc(struct pool *p, struct sample *smps[], int cnt)
+{
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = pool_get_many(p, (void **) smps, cnt);
@@ -20,6 +18,7 @@ int sample_alloc(struct pool *p, struct sample *smps[], int cnt) {
 	for (int i = 0; i < ret; i++) {
 		smps[i]->capacity = (p->blocksz - sizeof(**smps)) / sizeof(smps[0]->data[0]);
 		smps[i]->pool = p;
+		smps[i]->format = 0; /* all sample values are float by default */
 	}
 
 	return ret;
@@ -47,132 +46,23 @@ int sample_put(struct sample *s)
 	return prev - 1;
 }
 
-int sample_print(char *buf, size_t len, struct sample *s, int flags)
+int sample_set_data_format(struct sample *s, int idx, enum sample_data_format fmt)
 {
-	size_t off = snprintf(buf, len, "%llu", (unsigned long long) s->ts.origin.tv_sec);
+	if (idx >= sizeof(s->format) * 8)
+		return 0; /* we currently can only control the format of the first 64 values. */
 	
-	if (flags & SAMPLE_NANOSECONDS)
-		off += snprintf(buf + off, len - off, ".%09llu", (unsigned long long) s->ts.origin.tv_nsec);
-	
-	if (flags & SAMPLE_OFFSET)
-		off += snprintf(buf + off, len - off, "%+e", time_delta(&s->ts.origin, &s->ts.received));
-	
-	if (flags & SAMPLE_SEQUENCE)
-		off += snprintf(buf + off, len - off, "(%u)", s->sequence);
-
-	if (flags & SAMPLE_VALUES) {
-		for (int i = 0; i < s->length; i++)
-			off += snprintf(buf + off, len - off, "\t%.6f", s->data[i].f);
+	switch (fmt) {
+		case SAMPLE_DATA_FORMAT_FLOAT: s->format &= ~(1   << idx); break;
+		case SAMPLE_DATA_FORMAT_INT:   s->format |=  (fmt << idx); break;
 	}
-
-	off += snprintf(buf + off, len - off, "\n");
-
-	return off + 1; /* trailing '\0' */
+	
+	return 0;
 }
 
-int sample_scan(const char *line, struct sample *s, int *fl)
+int sample_get_data_format(struct sample *s, int idx)
 {
-	char *end;
-	const char *ptr = line;
-
-	int flags = 0;
-	double offset = 0;
-
-	/* Format: Seconds.NanoSeconds+Offset(SequenceNumber) Value1 Value2 ... 
-	 * RegEx: (\d+(?:\.\d+)?)([-+]\d+(?:\.\d+)?(?:e[+-]?\d+)?)?(?:\((\d+)\))?
-	 *
-	 * Please note that only the seconds and at least one value are mandatory
-	 */
-
-	/* Mandatory: seconds */
-	s->ts.origin.tv_sec = (uint32_t) strtoul(ptr, &end, 10);
-	if (ptr == end)
-		return -2;
-
-	/* Optional: nano seconds */
-	if (*end == '.') {
-		ptr = end + 1;
-
-		s->ts.origin.tv_nsec = (uint32_t) strtoul(ptr, &end, 10);
-		if (ptr != end)
-			flags |= SAMPLE_NANOSECONDS;
-		else
-			return -3;
-	}
-	else
-		s->ts.origin.tv_nsec = 0;
-
-	/* Optional: offset / delay */
-	if (*end == '+' || *end == '-') {
-		ptr = end;
-
-		offset = strtof(ptr, &end); /* offset is ignored for now */
-		if (ptr != end)
-			flags |= SAMPLE_OFFSET;
-		else
-			return -4;
-	}
+	if (idx >= sizeof(s->format) * 8)
+		return -1; /* we currently can only control the format of the first 64 values. */
 	
-	/* Optional: sequence */
-	if (*end == '(') {
-		ptr = end + 1;
-		
-		s->sequence = strtoul(ptr, &end, 10);
-		if (ptr != end)
-			flags |= SAMPLE_SEQUENCE;
-		else
-			return -5;
-		
-		if (*end == ')')
-			end++;
-	}
-
-	for (ptr  = end, s->length = 0;
-	                 s->length < s->capacity;
-	     ptr  = end, s->length++) {
-
-		s->data[s->length].f = strtod(ptr, &end); /** @todo We only support floating point values at the moment */
-		if (end == ptr) /* There are no valid FP values anymore */
-			break;
-	}
-	
-	if (s->length > 0)
-		flags |= SAMPLE_VALUES;
-	
-	if (fl)
-		*fl = flags;
-	if (flags & SAMPLE_OFFSET) {
-		struct timespec off = time_from_double(offset);
-		s->ts.received = time_add(&s->ts.origin, &off);
-	}
-	else
-		s->ts.received = s->ts.origin;
-
-	return s->length;
-}
-
-int sample_fprint(FILE *f, struct sample *s, int flags)
-{
-	char line[4096];
-
-	int len = sample_print(line, sizeof(line), s, flags);
-	
-	fputs(line, f);
-	
-	return len;
-}
-
-int sample_fscan(FILE *f, struct sample *s, int *fl)
-{
-	char *ptr, line[4096];
-	
-skip:	if (fgets(line, sizeof(line), f) == NULL)
-		return -1; /* An error occured */
-
-	/* Skip whitespaces, empty and comment lines */
-	for (ptr = line; isspace(*ptr); ptr++);
-	if (*ptr == '\0' || *ptr == '#')
-		goto skip;
-	
-	return sample_scan(line, s, fl);
+	return (s->format >> idx) & 0x1;
 }
\ No newline at end of file