According to one aspect of the invention a graphical user interface is provided. The graphical user interface includes a window displaying a first item and a menu listing a second item. Selection of the first item within the window and the second item in the menu helps to define a reference created between the first item and a target software component. The first item may be a source software component, a page, or a servlet. The second item may be the target software component or an interface to the target software component. The graphical user interface may also include a second menu listing the interface to the target software component. The source and target software components may be session or entity beans. The interface may be a remote, remote home, local, or local home interface.