Developing web interfaces to existing base applications encounter GUI screens involves translation from the native language into HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to support operation from a web page in accessible by HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), as is common to Internet (web based) applications. Accordingly, such "webification" of a conventional application involves manual. An object translation mechanism allows a web server to invoke the base application via a web GUI by using a server runtime engine in the web server to generate transportable objects, corresponding to application objects, for transmission to a client runtime engine (Browser). The web server further receives return transportable objects and generates executable objects indicative of user input and commands. The executable objects, map the user inputs and objects to associated objects and external references in the web server application corresponding to the base application, and perform the manipulations and operations corresponding to the user input.