Defining hierarchical structures with markup languages and reflection

A method, a computer program, and an apparatus are provided for building a hierarchical data tree. Typically, hierarchical trees are utilized in building Graphic User Interfaces. However, there are a variety of other uses. During the process of building, a rendering engine is employed to develop the tree, but some objects, attributes, or tags may not be identifiable to the rendering engine. In such cases, a reflection engine can be employed to identify the unidentifiable operational elements. The combination of a rendering engine with a reflection engine allows for increased flexibility in designing a hierarchical tree without the rigors of handwriting a large number of lines of code.