A method of creating a menu for a handheld digital device in a development environment includes selecting a target device which has an associated operating system available to the development environment. An editor is called for creation of the menu. The editor uses the constraints of the associated target device operating system so that actual behavior of the target device can be viewed as the development occurs. The developer defines functionality for the menu and can verify its operation. The menu editor can be customized for new digital devices with new operating system. Code may be generated as a result of completing the development process and saving the design. The resulting code is assured to run properly on the target device operating system.