Set fields information using API

I noticed there are methods to retrieve the field information for the Flexmonster object (getColumns, getRows, etc), but there isn't a setColumns method, like there is setOptions or setSort. Is the only way to achieve this by manipulating the report object programmatically?
This is potentially useful if the user would like to manipulate the table into a certain state, and then our application restores it later with the same field layout.