The present invention is directed generally to client-server, client-host, or server-server communications in a distributed computer network and, more particularly, to enhancing of resource adapters adapted to facilitate such communications. The present invention is directed to enhancing resource adapters that work with screens. Aspects of the invention, which may be incorporated into or communicate with existing resource adapters, provide a standard screen record for manipulating data on a screen image. The standard screen record provides support for instances where prior knowledge of the screen format or layout is known and for those instances where there is no knowledge of the screen format. Additionally, the standard screen record provides detailed data describing all attributes of a field and of the screen image itself. Additionally, the invention also provides easy access to the field attribute data. In some embodiments, aspects of the invention may include interfaces which enable tooling to be developed which can then be used to develop applications which utilize the functionality of the other aspects of the invention. This interface could provide a common way for tooling to support resource adapters that implemented the interface.