1. A method of creating a visual style for a set of graphical components for use on a computer system having a graphical operating environment, comprising: providing a schema file of available graphical components for which a visual style can be created, the visual style comprising a layout or shape of the graphical components and associated parts, wherein each of the graphical components includes two or more associated parts that form the graphical component, wherein the graphical components are controls that perform an associated known operation when selected by a user, wherein the layout of the graphical components and the associated parts comprises one or more of a size or a position on a display device, wherein each graphical component is defined by a unique class name, and wherein each class includes at least one part identified by a part name and each part includes at least one state such that each graphical component is identified by at least a corresponding class name and a corresponding part name; receiving a selection of one of the graphical components within a specified unique class and having a specified part name and a specified state from said schema file of graphical components, that are desired to have a defined visual style; assigning properties to said selected graphical component according to said defined visual style; and grouping pairs of selected graphical components and corresponding assigned properties for the defined visual style together in a class data file.