Abstract: An object oriented date and time control in a graphical user interface of a computer system is composed of a plurality of child objects, e.g., spin buttons. Changes to the children of the control are consolidated in a massaging mechanism which includes a message format including a control identifier of the control and a name of the detected change. In this way, the owning application does not have to monitor element of the control separately. Each child object has a range of allowed values which the user may select. The child objects interact such that a range of allowed values in one child object, the child object which sets the day value, is set according to the value for another child object, the child object which sets the month value. Responsive to changes in the month value, the range of allowed values for the day value may change accordingly. The date and time control is sensitive to locale or country specific data.