A system and method which allows a software engineer to easily modify a resource file for a graphical user interface (GUI). A conventional hard-coded resource file is converted into a parameterized resource file with a header file. The parameterized resource file includes parameters for certain properties which were previously hard-coded in the hard-coded resource file. Further, the header file provides values for the parameters. With such a structure and operation, by changing the parameter values in the header file the parameterized resource file can be changed, thereby making it significantly easier to modify resource files, and accordingly to modify the display on graphical user interfaces. More particularly, a data structure is achieved which defines a graphical user interface. The data structure includes a first file which defines a display of a plurality of controls of the graphical user interface. The controls include, for at least one control, a control type, a dimension of the control, and text to be displayed adjacent to, or with, the control. Further, at least one of the dimension of the control in the text is a variable, i.e., a parameter. Further, a parameterization indicator indicates a parameterization for the variable in the first file. A header file is then configured to store a value for the variable.