1. A method for interacting with a computer database table, comprising the steps of: tailoring a database interface object by establishing associations between columns of the database table and associated editing styles, each editing style specifying a display format for data of the associated column, said column/style associations specifying modifying methods for modifying data of respective columns of said database table, said tailoring being effected by an applications programmer without access to source code of said interface object; providing a client program; combining said database interface object, said client program, and a database manager program to form an application program; and executing said application program, said execution comprising the steps of: sending an invocation message from said client program to a retrieve method of said database interface object, receiving said retrieve invocation message by said database interface object at said retrieve method, execution of said retrieve method using said column/style associations to issue commands to said database manager program to retrieve data from said database table into a buffer maintained by and within said interface object; invoking modifying methods of said database interface object, said modifying methods modifying said retrieved data in said buffer and storing a transcript of corresponding modification directives; sending an invocation message from said client program to an update method of said database interface object, receiving said update invocation message by said database interface object at said update methods, execution of said update method using said column/style associations and said modification directives of said transcript to issue commands to said database manager program to update the data of said database table in accordance with said modification directives.