1. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the medium comprising: instructions for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) for rendering and editing components on an instrument panel displayed in a layout window, the layout window containing one or more icons representing components on the instrument panel, the instrument panel associated with a textual language program including code for the execution of one or more components represented on the instrument panel, the one or more components including a first component represented by a first icon on the instrument panel that directly corresponds with a first section of said code, the instrument panel running continuously during execution of the textual language program; instructions for receiving through the GUI a user selection of an editing operation for the first component in the layout window; and instructions for programmatically performing a synchronized operation on the first section of code that corresponds to the editing operation for the first component in the layout window in response to the selection of the editing operation.