A display interface system that uses a server-client approach. The server contains all of the necessary information regarding display information, while the client deals with the specific display type that it is connected to. The server contains generic descriptions of user interface screens which allow the server to be independent of specific display types. This allows one version of software to support many types of displays, rather than several software revisions for each display type, saving the software developer time, maintenance, and labor costs. A request-response communication system is used whereupon the client requests previous or next user display screens, system parameter requests, or updates from the server. The client requests screen information through a series of key-tag sequences, while the server controls the sequencing of the user display screens. The client is shielded from any knowledge of the contents of the screen and is only concerned with the fact that something is being displayed. Communication between the server and client is through a unified protocol, allowing the client to be located either locally, in the same machine or remote, across a network.