A plurality of scope declarations can be provided to delineate various portions of any data structure, such as a matrix, a table, or a chart. Some scope declarations may correspond to portions of a horizontal axis, or columns, while other scope declarations may correspond to portions of a vertical axis, or rows. Thus, the aggregate scope at any given location within a data structure may vary, depending on which scope declarations overlap at the given location. Properties can be set for a location of a data structure based on this aggregate scope, thereby providing increased control flexibility.