a method for operating a data processing system having a display screen on which a gui is displayed is disclosed . the gui has a plurality of configurations having different aspect ratios or numbers of pixels . the method includes providing a layout description and a runtime system that generates the gui in response to the layout description and the display configuration . the layout description defines a first container having a plurality of components to be shown in the gui within a first container space . each component has a component layout description within the first container . the runtime system automatically allocates the first container space depending on the display configuration , and automatically divides the first container space into a plurality of component spaces . each component is shown in a corresponding one of the component spaces . the first container space and the component spaces automatically change when the display configuration changes .