1. A computer system, comprising: a) a management service for a computer network having a plurality of objects of different types, each of said objects having at least one associated attribute with an attribute syntax, a plurality of said attributes having an associated value being of a data type corresponding to the attribute syntax of the associated attribute; b) a data structure adapted to represent one or more attributes and associated values of a target object, said data structure being capable of being modified; c) a user interface for displaying at least a portion of the data structure as an attribute tree structure irrespective of the target object type, said user interface being adapted to receive inputs from a human user; d) one or more generic syntax editors adapted to receive inputs from a human user to modify the data structure, each of said one or more generic syntax editors corresponding to at least one attribute syntax; and e) a mechanism to modify the target object to include modifications made to the data structure.