1. A method of applying styles to an object within a user interface during runtime, comprising: during runtime, ascertaining a first style and a second style associated with said object, wherein said object, said first style, and said second style are described in a high-level language, the high-level language description of the first style having been determined through operations comprising: displaying a graphical design interface, the graphical design interface comprising a graphical design element, the graphical design interface accepting input corresponding to defining a user interface, the user interface corresponding to a program; receiving input at the graphical design interface, the input corresponding to interaction with a graphical element of the graphical design interface; determining the first style corresponding to the input, the first style comprising a named set of at least one property and a corresponding value assignment, the first style corresponding to a selected object of the user interface displayed by the graphical design interface; and storing the style in the high-level language format; assigning a first property of the first style and the corresponding value assignment to the object, a property comprising a graphical attribute of the object in the user interface; assigning a second property of the first style and the corresponding value assignment to the object; determining that a third property of the second style and the corresponding value assignment is not to be assigned to the object because the third property is overridden by the first property; assigning a fourth property of the second style and the corresponding value assignment to the object because the fourth property is not overridden by a property of the first style; and displaying the object in the user interface with the first property's value assignment, the second property's value assignment, and the fourth property's value assignment.