Configurable user displays in process control systems.

Abstract

To provide a user interface environment for enabling creation and configuration of a process plant display.SOLUTION: A display configuration system can create a process display called a dashboard in the same interface to be used to allow a plant operator to browse operation of a process plant. The operator is more productive because the operator can more quickly create an own specialized dashboard when determining that the dashboard is necessary. The dashboard has a defined arrangement for designating a place at which a display element can be shown in the dashboard. The operator can easily create content on the own dashboard by using a display formation unit called a gadget defined in advance to be configurable so as to be able to be stored in a library in advance and so as to be usable by the operator during dashboard creation activity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to process control systems, and more particularly to providing a flexible or configurable user interface environment to enable the creation and configuration of process plant views.

[0002] Related Applications This application claims the benefit, for purposes of priority, of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 711,105, entitled "Configurable User Displays in a Process Control System," filed October 8, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, this application claims the benefit, for purposes of priority, of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 711,110, entitled "Process Plant Configurations Using Flexible Objects," filed October 8, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] Distributed process control systems, such as those used in chemical, petroleum, or other processes, typically include one or more process controllers communicatively coupled to one or more field devices via analog buses, digital buses, or a combination of analog and digital buses. Field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches, and transmitters (e.g., temperature, pressure, level, and flow rate sensors), are located within the process environment and perform process functions such as opening and closing valves and measuring process parameters. Intelligent (or "smart") field devices, such as those conforming to well-known Fieldbus protocols such as the FOUNDATION® Fieldbus protocol, can also perform control calculations, alarm functions, and other control functions typically implemented within controllers. Process controllers are also typically located within the plant environment and execute controller applications that receive signals indicative of process measurements made by the field devices and / or other information related to the field devices and run different control modules that, for example, make process control decisions, generate control signals based on the received information, and interface with control modules or blocks running within the field devices, such as HART® and Fieldbus field devices. Control modules within the controller send control signals over communication lines to the field devices, thereby controlling the operation of the process.

[0004] Information from the field devices and controllers is typically made available over a data highway to one or more other hardware devices, such as operator workstations, personal computers, data historians, report generators, centralized databases, etc., which are typically located in a control room or other location away from the more hostile plant environment. These hardware devices run applications that may enable operators to perform process-related functions, such as, for example, changing settings on process control routines, modifying the operation of control modules in controllers or field devices, viewing the current state of the process, viewing alarms generated by field devices and controllers, simulating process operation for purposes of personnel training or testing process control software, maintaining and updating configuration databases, etc.

[0005] As an example, the DeltaV™ control system sold by Emerson Process Management includes multiple applications stored in and executed by different devices located at various locations within a process network, which may be located in a single facility or networked across multiple facilities or process control plants. The configuration application resides in one or more operator workstations and enables users to create or modify process control modules and download these process control modules over a data highway to dedicated distributed controllers. Typically, these control modules are composed of communicatively interconnected function blocks—objects in an object-oriented programming protocol—that perform functions within a control scheme based on inputs to them and provide outputs to other function blocks within the control scheme. The configuration application also allows designers to create or modify an operator interface or human-machine interface (HMI) used by a viewing application to display data to an operator and allow the operator to change settings within the process control routines, such as set points. Each dedicated controller, and possibly one or more field devices, stores and executes a controller application that runs the downloaded control modules assigned to it to implement the actual process control functionality. The viewing application may run on one or more operator workstations and receive data from the controller application via the data highway and display this data to a process control system designer, operator, or user using a user interface that may provide any of a number of different views, such as, for example, an operator view, an engineer view, a technician view, a maintenance view, etc.The data historian application is typically stored in and executed by a data historian device that collects and stores some or all of the data provided over the data highway, while the configuration database application runs in a more remote computer attached to the data highway and can store the current process control routine configuration and its associated data. Alternatively, the configuration database may be located in the same workstation as the configuration application.

[0006] As the number and variety of control and supporting applications used within a process control environment has increased, different graphic display applications have been provided to enable users to effectively configure, view, and use these applications. For example, graphic display applications have been used to support control configuration applications to enable configuration engineers to graphically create control programs for downloading to control devices within a process plant. In addition, graphic display applications have been used to enable control operators to view current process conditions of a process plant (or area of ​​the process plant), monitor and operate process control functions, observe process-level alarms, etc. Other graphic display applications allow maintenance personnel to view the functional status of hardware devices and various areas within a process plant, and other graphic display applications allow engineers to simulate the operation of a process plant.

[0007] A configuration engineer can use the graphic display creation application to create one or more displays for operators, maintenance personnel, and the like within a process plant by selecting and configuring display objects within the display creation application. These displays are typically implemented system-wide on one or more workstations to provide operators and maintenance personnel with preconfigured views of the operational status of control systems or devices within the plant. In larger process plants, displays may be specific to particular portions of the plant or particular functional areas. Generally, displays take the form of alarm displays that receive and display alarms generated by controllers or devices within the process plant, control displays that indicate the operational status of controllers and other devices within the process plant, maintenance displays that indicate the functional status of devices within the process plant, and the like. Furthermore, these displays are typically preconfigured to display information or data received from process control modules or devices within the process plant. For example, a graphic on a display screen may change in real time to illustrate that a tank is half full or that a valve position has changed, or a numeric indicator included in a graphic display may update according to the temperature of a stream or reactor measured by a flow sensor.

[0008] Historically, real-time process control data accessible to displays was primarily limited to the controller. In other words, before the introduction of intelligence into field devices, configuration engineers did not develop displays that could automatically display diagnostic or alarm data from field devices. Of course, intelligent field devices are now an important source of process control data, and obtaining, displaying, and applying information from intelligent field devices is beneficial in operating and diagnosing control actions within a process plant.

[0009] Although intelligent field devices have been available for many years, configuration engineers continue to face many challenges in efficiently incorporating information from such devices into displays. Configuration engineers typically devote significant time and effort to developing screens specific to process areas and the operational tasks associated with those areas, and budgetary considerations often preclude redeveloping (or even modifying) displays to accommodate new information sources. Furthermore, configuration engineers often develop displays separately from control strategies. At the time a display is being developed for a particular control strategy, the configuration engineer may not yet know which devices the control strategy will use or whether those devices are intelligent. Consequently, many displays continue to have hard-coded process parameters and graphical components, some of which are considered legacy displays.

[0010] In many process plants, control strategies and field devices are typically represented as separate objects within a process control system. Control strategy objects and device objects each have their own separate tags, alarms, faceplates, and other attributes. Thus, with the introduction of intelligent field devices, the number of objects within a typical process control system has increased dramatically. While these objects provide operators with the benefit of useful information, the large number of such objects has increased the complexity of the tasks required to be completed by operators and configuration engineers. Consequently, many users must evaluate the impact of intelligent field devices on their existing work practices and, in some cases, define new practices to effectively use these new information sources. Some facilities are therefore unwilling to invest the resources to redefine their existing practices and instead choose to monitor process plant operations without the aid of information from intelligent field devices. Specifically, these facilities continue to use displays that do not reflect the diagnostic, alarm, and other process data available from intelligent field devices.

[0011] On the other hand, incorporating information from intelligent field devices into a display can have the unwanted effect of frustrating users with the amount of detail and complexity of the information depicted. For example, objects corresponding to a particular control strategy, along with objects corresponding to the devices used by that control strategy, can provide an overwhelming amount of information that some users may perceive as noise. Furthermore, displaying all of the available information on the display also creates unnecessary clutter, further degrading the user experience. Therefore, it is common to logically group the available information under various user menu options.

[0012] In any event, as a result of these factors, the number and variety of control and support applications used in process control environments has increased, and different graphic display applications, in particular, have been provided to enable users to effectively configure and use these applications. For example, graphic display applications have been used to support control configuration applications to enable configuration engineers to graphically create control programs for downloading to control devices within a process plant. In addition, graphic display applications have been used to enable control operators to view the current function of a process plant or area of ​​a process plant, to enable maintenance personnel to view the status of hardware devices within a process plant, to enable simulation of a process plant, etc. However, these graphic display applications have previously been created separately as part of the specific application with which they are associated and, therefore, are generally limited in their usefulness to the specific process function for which they were created. For example, it is difficult, if not impossible, to use a graphic program created to support a control operator in the context of a maintenance, configuration, or simulation function.

[0013] Furthermore, existing applications typically require many clicks to reach a desired menu item within a display. Specifically, an operator or maintenance person interested in "drilling down" into a module must often activate numerous menus and review and respond to multiple dialogs. In many cases, the controls for triggering tasks are not organized in an intuitive manner, thus requiring a significant learning curve.

[0014] In other cases, the ever-increasing number of command options and features continues to make process control design, configuration, and management more complex. A typical user sees a large number of controls and menu items on a screen, yet often only a relatively small subset of these controls or menu items are applicable to the task the user is performing.

[0015] During configuration, the display creation application may have, for example, temperature graphic display items such as tanks, valves, sensors, operator control buttons such as slide bars, on / off switches, etc., which may be placed on the screen in any desired configuration to create operator displays, maintenance displays, etc. When placed on the screen, the individual graphic items may be interconnected on the screen in a manner that provides different users with some information or representation of the internal structure of the process plant. To bring the graphic display to life, the display creator manually links each of the graphic items to data generated within the process plant, such as data measured by a sensor or data indicating valve position, by specifying communication links between the graphic items and relevant data sources within the process plant. This process is cumbersome, time-consuming, and prone to error, and further requires significant programming and plant configuration knowledge. Furthermore, once a display is created, it remains in its configuration and arrangement and is therefore difficult, if not impossible, to modify.

[0016] Furthermore, graphics are typically defined separately from the control strategy, and one graphic display is often used with several different control modules. Because a wide variety of graphic variations are expected in a graphic display, it is necessary to design a graphic configuration system using a specialized format for specifying which variations are acceptable or usable along with the override structure in each graphic display. These variations include, for example, specifying changes such as allowing the user to define the rotation of some of the items, selecting which strings and variables must be shown in the display, and which are optional. Without this upfront design, the graphic display cannot accommodate even minor changes made during plant runtime. Unfortunately, a configuration system that attempts to quickly design or pre-specify acceptable variations in all graphic displays is unusable because changes in graphic items within a display are so common. As a result, maintaining effective graphic costs is an ongoing problem within a control system, which is only exacerbated when maintaining graphics must be coordinated with changes being made to the control module classes used within the control configuration system.

[0017] As an example, operator displays used to observe and control a process plant are defined in a programming environment and, once complete, deployed for use by operators. If changes are needed to the deployed displays, the changes are implemented within the programming environment and the displays are then redeployed. Although cumbersome, proper design of operator displays is essential to the safe operation of a process plant. Therefore, operators typically are not able to change the displays themselves. Additionally, most operators do not have the training necessary to be able to program new displays.

[0018] However, as mentioned above, process graphics require lengthy and expensive engineering time to configure. Displays are often designed based on piping and instrumentation diagrams, ensuring that all of the measurements and controls are represented to the operator. While some displays can be programmed for known tasks, such as plant startup and shutdown, it is impractical to create a one-off display that serves all of the potential specific purposes expected to be performed by a particular user, or to customize a display for a specific task performed by a single user. Furthermore, creating a display-specific task requires collaboration between engineers and operators, which may not be practical during the configuration effort when the display is defined. If no display defined for a specific task exists, the operator must navigate between displays that have the necessary information to properly observe and operate the process. This behavior can confuse the operator and increase the risk of operator error due to the need to memorize information on other displays.

[0019] Additionally, navigational activities used by operators to change between available displays are typically programmed into the display. While it is typical to program multiple direct display connections into an operator display, these display connections also typically follow the piping and instrumentation diagram of the plant, which may not be in a manner that requires a particular operator to navigate between displays. To ensure that operators can quickly access whatever display is needed, these displays may provide or add multiple display access points, e.g., 30 or more, on the display that allow users to easily access other displays. However, even in this case, the user must be sufficiently familiar with the display to be able to quickly navigate to the correct display to retrieve the information the operator needs. Summary of the Invention

[0020] The display configuration system allows operators to create their own process displays (hereinafter referred to as "dashboards" or "dashboard displays") in the same interface they use to operate the process plant and in a manner that does not require the user to understand a graphical programming application. Furthermore, the display configuration system allows operators to create any number of dashboards as needed for their tasks and allows operators to create them during plant runtime. Using this display configuration system, display configuration engineers do not need to create displays for every possible operator task, thereby reducing the display configuration activity required at the plant. Furthermore, plant operators can be more productive because they can quickly create and implement their own dashboards as they determine that these dashboards are needed.

[0021] Generally speaking, a dashboard is a type of display that has unique capabilities that allow the dashboard to be modified by an operator. Each dashboard has a defined layout that defines the locations or areas where display elements can be shown within the dashboard, such as a 3-column by 2-row or 3-by-3 grid, and this layout may be modifiable by the operator. In some cases, operators can easily create content on their own dashboards using predefined display-forming units (hereinafter referred to as "gadgets"). Gadgets may be provided in a library and can be installed in one of the dashboard's areas or locations by simply dragging and dropping them onto the dashboard. In one embodiment, gadgets can be moved within a dashboard by selecting the title bar for the gadget and dragging and dropping the gadget to a new location within the dashboard. The display configuration system may automatically size the gadget based on the selected dashboard layout. If desired, operators can modify existing dashboards by adding, modifying, moving, minimizing, or deleting gadgets on the dashboard.

[0022] If desired, security measures may be used to determine which operators can create and modify dashboards to ensure that only operators with the correct process knowledge can create and modify dashboards. Furthermore, gadgets may be configurable by the operator and may be pre-programmed with simple selections and options for the operator (hereinafter referred to as "aliases"), for example, to reduce or eliminate the specialized training or graphical knowledge required of the operator in developing dashboards that use the gadget. The inclusion of these selections and options may allow a single gadget to be reusable across different process values ​​instead of being dedicated to a single set of process values.

[0023] Dashboards may be automatically saved in the configuration system, and there may be little or no additional configuration actions required to make saved dashboards available for others to view. For example, operators can view dashboards created by other operators and use these saved dashboards as starting points for creating their own dashboards. In some cases, when a first user makes changes to another user's dashboard, the modified dashboard may be automatically saved as the first user's personal dashboard. Use of this configuration system makes it easy for operators to create custom, modified copies of existing dashboards on the system ("system dashboards") or from other users' personal dashboards. By modifying the system dashboard or another user's personal dashboard, the system automatically creates a copy for use as the operator's personal dashboard. If a dashboard is found to be useful to multiple individuals, the personal dashboard may be promoted to a system dashboard at any time.

[0024] After logging into the plant network, the operator may be provided with an interface that provides a list or set of dashboards that may be useful to the operator. The system may automatically provide the operator with an initial set of "favorite" or personal dashboards and displays, for example, when the operator first logs into the system. The operator may be able to manage these lists as the operator determines they will be most useful to the operator. Additionally, lists of dashboards and displays may be set up or established for particular tasks, such as plant startup and shutdown tasks, groups of users, particular areas or regions of the plant, particular equipment within the plant, etc.

[0025] The dashboards described herein can also be created in a graphical programming application used by a configuration engineer during the initial configuration of a plant. This feature allows a display configuration engineer to create an initial set of dashboards for an operator. If the engineer determines that the dashboard should not be further modified, the engineer can change the dashboard from a dashboard to a display (also called a system display). The display will look the same to the operator, but from this point on, the display can only be modified in the graphical programming application used by the configuration engineer, and not in the display application used by the operator.

[0026] An engineer can also define portions of a dashboard as not modifiable. For example, an engineer can allocate a portion of a dashboard to a gadget, while the remainder of the dashboard is programmed using standard graphic elements (e.g., a circle or a rectangle) that are not modifiable by an operator. The operator can then add, modify, rearrange, and delete only the gadgets within the allocated portion of the dashboard. Furthermore, a configuration engineer can create one or more gadgets that are later used by an operator in creating the dashboard. Typical display programming applications used by configuration engineers often provide the engineer with a mechanism for creating complex graphic visualizations that are reusable in an editing environment, hereafter referred to as graphic element modules (GEMs). However, in this case, gadgets may also be created within the graphic programming application, or simply created as GEMs that are defined to be gadgets. GEMs and gadgets can therefore use the same alias concepts, in which case all of the graphic capabilities available to GEMs are available to gadgets. Thus, using these concepts, an engineer need only understand one application and programming approach for gadgets, displays, and dashboards.

[0027] View navigation within the dashboard is improved by presenting the operator with all of the available views in an organized list, which may organize the views using folders. Folders may be used to define views related to a portion of the process plant, such as a water utility / boiler, to provide hierarchical navigation, or to define views used for a specific task, such as a plant shutdown. Views may be presented within multiple folders so that they can be easily accessed for various tasks and by portion of the plant. Because there are often hundreds of views within a control system, the view configuration system allows operators to organize their most commonly used views into their own favorite view list. The favorites list may also organize views using folders, allowing views to be referenced in multiple folders. As a result, operators do not need to rely on engineers to program all of the display navigation connections necessary to optimally perform operator tasks.

[0028] If desired, dashboards may be treated like any other display within a navigation-related operational application, and in addition, a particular user's or operator's dashboards may be automatically or manually organized so that they are easy for that operator to find, for example, by being available or shown in the user's folder and by being automatically added to the user's list of favorite displays.

[0029] Still further, to aid in navigation, a display or dashboard may also have programmed display navigation tools for moving to the next, previous, up, and down display in the display hierarchy; these "next" or adjacent displays in the hierarchy may be dashboards or system displays. If the currently logged-in operator has created his or her own personal dashboard from the referenced dashboard, the control system may, in response to the user's navigation command, automatically access that user's personal dashboard for display to the user instead of the referenced dashboard or display. If the operator has not created his or her own personal dashboard, a system-defined dashboard may be accessed instead.

[0030] If desired, the display configuration system and operational interface described herein may be available in either a rich desktop or web interface environment. In particular, the display viewing and generation capabilities described herein may be implemented in a web browser environment, where the system allows a user to browse through pre-stored or pre-created displays instead of web pages, such as by searching and viewing displays.

[0031] It will be appreciated that the configuration system described herein preserves the benefits of class-based or standardized template behavior for user interfaces that communicate with and control processes within a process plant, while at the same time providing a mechanism for allowing users to change or reconfigure the presentation of information and control via user displays during the runtime of the displays, allowing the creation and reconfiguration of user displays to be tailored for a specific purpose for a user or group of users as those displays perform process control activities. Thus, the user interface display and configuration system described herein enables changes to user display connections and arrangements, reducing the occurrence of unnecessary delays in the application of changes to portions of a process plant or process control system (or, in some cases, the entire plant or system), thus increasing the overall efficiency and productivity of the process plant or system over time.

[0032] According to one aspect, for example, a user display system for use as part of a process control system and communicatively coupled to a process control device within the process control system to communicate with the process control system to obtain process control data from the process control system and transmit control or configuration data to the process control system to affect operation of the process control system includes: a first library stored on a tangible computer-readable medium that executes using one or more computer processors to store one or more executable graphical elements, each executable graphical element including information indicia and a link to data within the process control system to be displayed using the information indicia; and a second library stored on the tangible computer-readable medium that executes using one or more computer processors to store one or more executable user interface presentations, at least one of the executable user interface presentations defining a display area for a user display device and one or more sub-areas within the display area, each of the one or more sub-areas associated with a different executable graphical element used to present information in the sub-area, and each executable user interface presentation including a link between each of one or more of the sub-areas and a corresponding one of the executable graphical elements. The system further includes a user display execution routine stored on a tangible computer-readable medium that executes on the one or more processors to present visual information on a user display device using one of the executable user interface display formats and one or more of the executable graphical elements.

[0033] In another aspect of the user display system, one of the executable user interface display formats may include a fixed area within the display area that is not associated with any executable graphical elements, and the executable user interface display format includes fixed information indicia and a fixed link to process control data that is presented in the fixed display area during runtime of one of the executable user interface display formats.

[0034] In another aspect of the user display system, the fixed information indicia include a piping and instrumentation diagram for a portion of the process.

[0035] In another aspect of the user display system, one of the executable user interface presentation formats is configurable so that different executable graphic elements can be associated with one of the sub-regions during runtime of the executable user interface presentation format. For example, one of the executable user interface presentation formats may be configurable so that a user can associate one of the executable graphic elements associated with a first sub-region of one of the executable user interface presentation formats with a second sub-region of one of the executable user interface presentation formats, or so that a user can change the location, size, and / or number of one or more of the sub-regions associated with a presentation format.

[0036] According to another aspect of the user display system, the information indicia of at least one of the executable graphical elements may include a graph, such as a piping and instrumentation diagram and / or trend graph, for a portion of the process, where the link to data in the process control system may include a link to the process data trended in the trend graph.

[0037] According to another aspect of the user display system, one of the user interface presentations is configurable to allow for varying sizes of sub-regions on the user interface presentation.

[0038] According to another aspect, the user display system may also include an executable graphic element creation routine stored on the tangible computer-readable medium that executes on one or more processors to allow a user to create or modify one or more of the executable graphic elements and store the created or modified one or more of the executable graphic elements as new executable graphic elements in the computer-readable medium of the first library. Additionally, one of the executable graphic elements may be associated with one of the sub-regions by dragging an indication of the executable graphic element to an indication of the sub-region on a user interface presentation displayed on the user display device.

[0039] According to another aspect, the user display system further includes a display routine stored on a tangible computer-readable medium and, when stored in an organized manner in a second library, executing on a computer processor to present one or more folders containing references to one or more of the executable user interface presentations. One of the one or more folders can store references to executable user interface presentations associated with a particular user, or to executable user interface presentations associated with a particular area of ​​the process plant, or to executable user interface presentations associated with a particular task. Optionally, one of the one or more folders may store references to executable user interface presentations accessible by multiple users, or may store references to executable user interface presentations associated with a particular user and accessible only via security procedures implemented for the particular user.

[0040] According to yet a further aspect, a user display configuration system for use as part of a process control system is communicatively coupled to a process control device within the process control system to communicate with the process control system to obtain process control data from the process control system and transmit control or configuration data to the process control system to affect operation of the process control system, and includes: a first library stored on a tangible computer readable medium including one or more executable graphical elements, each executable graphical element including information indicia to be presented as part of a user interface and one or more links to data within the process control system associated with the information indicia for use in obtaining data to be displayed using the information indicia; and a second library stored on the tangible computer readable medium that stores one or more executable user interface display formats. At least one of the executable user interface presentation forms defines a display area for a user display device and one or more sub-areas within the display area, each of the one or more sub-areas being associated with a different executable graphic element used to present information in the display sub-area, and each of the one or more executable user interface presentation forms includes links or references between each of one or more of the sub-areas of the executable user interface presentation form and the executable graphic element. The system also includes a configuration engine stored on a tangible computer-readable medium that executes on one or more processors, during execution of one of the executable user interface presentation forms, to enable a user to change the configuration of one of the executable user interface presentation forms to the manner in which one or more of the executable graphic elements are used during runtime of the one of the executable user interface presentation forms to communicate with a process control system, display information to a user, and enable a user to interact with and control a process, process plant, or process control system.

[0041] According to another aspect of the user display configuration system, the configuration engine enables a user to specify a link between one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms and one of the executable graphic presentation elements to cause one of the executable graphic presentation elements to display information in one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms.

[0042] According to a further aspect of the user display configuration system, the configuration engine enables a user to specify a link between one of the sub-areas of one of the executable user interface presentation formats and one of the executable graphic display elements by enabling a user to drag an indication of one of the executable graphic display elements to an area on the user display associated with one of the sub-areas of one of the executable user interface presentation formats and drop the indication of one of the executable graphic display elements to an area on the user display associated with one of the sub-areas of one of the executable user interface presentation formats, thereby creating a link (i.e., a reference) between one of the executable graphic elements and one of the sub-areas of one of the executable user interface presentation formats.

[0043] According to another aspect of the user display configuration system, the configuration engine allows a user to specify the number, location, size, and / or other parameters of sub-regions associated with a display region of one of the executable user interface display formats.

[0044] According to another aspect of the user display configuration system, the configuration engine allows a user to configure one of the executable graphic elements in any or all of a variety of ways, including by specifying one or more links to data within the process control system used by one of the executable graphic elements, by specifying information indicia used by one of the executable graphic elements, etc. Additionally, the configuration system can associate one or more of the executable graphic elements with one of the sub-regions such that a visual display created by one or more executable graphic elements automatically sizes the visual display to fit one of the sub-regions.

[0045] According to another aspect of the user display configuration system, the configuration engine may store executable user interface presentations configured by a user in a second library as new executable user interface presentations, and may store the new executable user interface presentations as associated with the user, allowing the executable user interface presentations configured by the user to be organized and viewable to the user in one or more user folders associated with the user, or as associated with multiple different users, allowing the executable user interface presentations configured by the user to be organized and viewable to the user in one or more folders accessible by multiple different users. In addition, the configuration engine may store executable user interface presentations configured by the user in the second library as executable user interface presentations configurable by other users or as executable user interface presentations of types of system presentations that are not configurable by other users.

[0046] According to another aspect, a user display system is for use in a process plant having a process control system, the user interface device being communicatively coupled to a process control device within the process control system to communicate with the process control system to obtain process control data from the process control system and transmit control or configuration data to the process control system, the user interface device including a processor; a first library database implemented on a tangible computer readable medium including one or more executable graphical elements, each executable graphical element including information indicia to be presented as part of a user interface and references to one or more links or data within the process control system associated with the information indicia for use in obtaining data to be displayed using the information indicia; and a second library database stored on the tangible computer readable medium that stores one or more executable user interface display formats. At least one of the executable user interface display forms defines a display area for a user display device and one or more sub-areas within the display area, each of the one or more sub-areas being capable of being associated with a different executable graphic element used to present information in the display sub-area, and each of the one or more executable user interface display forms includes a link between each of one or more of the sub-areas of the executable user interface form and the executable graphic element.The system also includes a user display engine stored on a tangible computer-readable medium that executes, on a processor communicatively coupled to one or more of the user interface device, the first and second libraries, and the process control device, one of the executable user interface presentation formats to present a display to a user using one of the executable user interface presentation formats, and that, during execution of one of the executable user interface presentation formats, enables a user to modify one of the executable user interface presentation formats at the user interface device relative to the manner in which one or more of the executable graphical elements are used during runtime of one of the executable user interface presentation formats.

[0047] According to another aspect of the user display system, the user display engine may enable a user to specify a link or reference between one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms and one of the executable graphic display elements, the link indicating one of the executable graphic display elements that is responsible for displaying information in one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms. The user display engine may enable a user to specify a link between one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms and one of the executable graphic display elements by allowing the user to drag an indication of one of the executable graphic display elements to an area on the user display device associated with one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms and drop the indication of one of the executable graphic display elements onto the user display device associated with one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms, thereby creating a link between the executable graphic element and one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface presentation forms.

[0048] According to another aspect of the user display system, the user display engine may enable a user to specify the number, location, configuration, and any other desired characteristics of one of the sub-regions associated with a display region of one of the executable user interface presentations. Additionally, the display engine may enable a user to configure one of the executable graphical elements by specifying one or more links to data within the process control system used by one of the executable graphical elements, and / or may enable a user to configure one of the executable graphical elements by specifying information indicia used by one of the executable graphical elements.

[0049] According to another aspect of the user display system, the user display engine may implement one or more of the executable graphical elements in one of the sub-regions of one of the executable user interface display forms during runtime execution of one of the executable user interface display forms such that a visual display created by the one or more executable graphical elements is automatically sized to fit one of the sub-regions of the one of the executable user interface display forms when the one of the executable display forms is executed by the user display engine.

[0050] According to further aspects of the user display system, the user display engine may store user-configured executable user interface presentations in the second library in a manner associated with the user, enabling the user-configured executable user interface presentations to be organized and viewable to the user in one or more user folders associated with the user. For example, the user display engine may store user-configured executable user interface presentations in the second library as associated with multiple different users, enabling the user-configured executable user interface presentations to be organized and viewable to the multiple different users in one or more folders accessible by multiple different users, enabling the user-configured executable user interface presentations to be organized and viewable to one or more different users in one or more folders associated with tasks, and / or enabling the user-configured executable user interface presentations to be organized and viewable to one or more different users in one or more folders associated with one or more particular process control devices, such as a unit or set of process control devices.

[0051] According to another aspect of the user display system, the user display engine may be executed within a computer device that is communicatively connected to the user interface device in any manner; specifically, the user display engine may be executed within a computer device that is communicatively connected to the user interface device via a communication network having a firewall device installed between the computer device and the user interface device, or the user display engine may be executed within a computer device that is communicatively connected to the user interface device via a communication network and communicates with the user interface device via a web browser, or the user display engine may be executed on a processor of the user interface device.

[0052] According to another aspect of the user display system, one of the executable user interface presentation formats enables a user to modify the operation of the process control device, through interaction with one of the executable user interface presentation formats, during runtime of one of the executable user interface presentation formats to affect a process plant, process control system, or product produced by a process control device associated with the process plant or process control system.

[0053] According to a further aspect of the user display system, one of the executable user interface presentations may include a fixed region within the display area that is not associated with any executable graphical elements, the executable user interface presentation including fixed information indicia and fixed links or references to process data generated by process control devices within the process plant that are presented within the fixed display region during runtime of the one of the executable user interface presentations. In one case, for example, the fixed information indicia may include a piping and instrumentation diagram for a portion of the process plant.

[0054] Of course, any or all of these aspects of the above-described system may be used in any combination with each other.

[0055] The flexible configuration of graphic elements and displays provided by the display and configuration systems described herein enables a process plant or process control system to be observed, controlled, and / or operated more safely and efficiently in real time. Specifically, these display and configuration systems enable operators to configure graphic elements and / or displays that are specifically tailored or customized for a particular observation, control, and / or operation of one or more portions of a process control system or plant in both a real-time or plant runtime operating environment and a configuration environment. The display and configuration systems also enable operators to save customized graphic elements and / or customized displays for general (e.g., plant-wide or system-wide, real-time environment or configuration environment) access, use, reuse, and incorporation. Thus, because the configuration of graphic element(s) and / or graphic display(s) is streamlined and fully customizable within multiple environments of a process plant or system, operator confusion and errors are reduced, thereby enabling operators to operate a process plant or system efficiently and safely.

[0056] Furthermore, because the graphical element(s) and / or display(s) are customized for a particular purpose for a particular portion of or the entire process plant or system, real-time data generated by a particular portion of or the entire process plant or system (e.g., during control of one or more processes) and requiring necessary manual and / or automatic intervention can be easily and quickly determined using the customized graphical element(s) and / or display(s). As an example, real-time data is received and determined in the customized graphical element(s) and / or display, and based on the content of the determined data, updated control algorithms or data are manually and / or automatically generated and transmitted to the process plant for execution or use in controlling the process plant. In another example, based on the content of the received and determined data, recovery action instructions are manually or automatically sent to one or more process elements of the process plant or system for implementation, and / or shutdown or initialization instructions are sent to one or more process elements of the process plant or system for implementation. Of course, other data, configurations, and / or instructions are possible that are included in or executed by the process plant or system based on the received and determined real-time data. In some cases, the data, configurations, and / or instructions delivered to the process plant or system based on the determined real-time data result in a change to the process plant or system (e.g., an updated or new configuration for a process element) or its operation. In some cases, the delivered data, configurations, and / or instructions cause the process plant or control system to perform an action (e.g., remove a particular process element from operation, reroute generated reroute data from one source to another, etc.).

[0057] Thus, the display and configuration systems described herein allow graphical elements and / or displays to generate more customized and detailed information (especially with respect to real-time data generated by the process plant or system), enabling a user to quickly generate any necessary modifications to the control and / or operation of one or more portions of the process plant or process control system and more quickly integrate these changes within the run-time environment of the process plant or control system. Thus, with the techniques, methods, and systems described herein, the efficiency and safety of the process plant or system are further increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0058] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a process plant including a distributed process control network and a plurality of operator workstations implementing a configuration system having a configurable user display. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a data flow diagram associated with the operation of a display configuration system having a display creation and generation application that enables a user to create and configure displays within a process plant environment. [Figure 3] 1 is a display screen illustrating a user interface that may be provided by a display generator application to allow a user to view, create, and modify dashboard displays. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an example dashboard display made up of various gadgets. [Figure 5] 1 illustrates another example dashboard display. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates various dashboard configurations. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a display window that may be used to allow a user to configure a dashboard layout. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a comprehensive gadget display visualization. [Figure 9]10 illustrates a gadget configuration screen that allows a user to select gadgets for use in a dashboard. [Figure 10] 10 illustrates a further gadget configuration screen that allows a user to select or specify visualization characteristics for a gadget. [Figure 11] 10 illustrates a further gadget configuration screen that allows a user to select or specify a data connection for use by the gadget. [Figure 12] 10 illustrates various screens that may be presented to a user during the process of selecting and adding gadgets to a dashboard to create a new dashboard display. [Figure 13] 10 illustrates various screens that may be presented to a user during the process of selecting and adding gadgets to a dashboard to create a new dashboard display. [Figure 14] 10 illustrates various screens that may be presented to a user during the process of selecting and adding gadgets to a dashboard to create a new dashboard display. [Figure 15] 10 illustrates various screens that may be presented to a user during the process of selecting and adding gadgets to a dashboard to create a new dashboard display. [Figure 16] 10 illustrates various screens that may be presented to a user during the process of selecting and adding gadgets to a dashboard to create a new dashboard display. [Figure 17] Illustrates the use of a display viewing and configuration application at one or more operator stations in a process plant network. [Figure 18] Illustrates the use of a display viewing and configuration application on one or more workstations connected to a plant network via an internet connection. [Figure 19]Illustrates the use of a display viewing and configuration application on one or more workstations connected in a local area network to a plant network through a firewall. [Figure 20] 1 illustrates a file sharing and file manipulation screen that can be used by a user or administrator to configure the display files that a user can view. [Figure 21] 10 illustrates a dashboard configuration screen that can be used to specify links or shortcuts between various dashboard displays and other documents or information sources. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0059] 1 illustrates an example of a process plant network 10 in which process plant personnel, such as operators 12 and maintenance technicians 14, use one or more viewing or display applications 20 to monitor the operation of the process plant 10, and in particular, a distributed control system 22 implemented within the process plant 10. The viewing or display applications 20 include user interface applications that graphically depict similar or identical process graphics using a variety of different displays to each of the operators 12 and maintenance technicians 14 at workstations 30 and 32, respectively. However, in this case, the display applications 20 enable the graphical representations to be presented to the users using user-configurable display objects or elements, such that, for example, each of the operators 12 and maintenance technicians 14 can adjust their respective displays to view particular process information more relevant to their jobs or required for the tasks they are currently performing. For example, the displays generated for the operator 12 may include information related to the operation of one or more process control functions, e.g., control loops within the process control system 22, and the displays generated for the maintenance technician 14 may include information related to one or more devices operating within the process plant 10, e.g., device trend data, current operating condition data, etc. Importantly, the displays generated for the operator and maintenance technician 14 can be easily adjusted or configured by the operator 12 or maintenance technician 14 during operation of the plant 10 to provide these users with the information they need.

[0060] Typically, the distributed process control system 22 has one or more controllers 40 each connected to one or more field or smart devices 44 and 46 via an input / output (I / O) device or card 48, which may be, for example, a Fieldbus interface, a Profibus interface, a HART interface, a standard 4-20mA interface, etc. The controllers 40 are also coupled to one or more host or operator workstations 50-52 via a data highway 54, which may be, for example, an Ethernet link, etc. A process data database 58 is connected to the data highway 54 and is operable to collect and store process variables, process parameters, conditions, and other data associated with the controllers and field devices in the plant 10. During operation of the process plant 10, the process data database 58 may receive process data from the controllers 40 and indirectly from the field devices 44-46 via the data highway 54.

[0061] The configuration database 60 stores the current configuration of the process control system 22 in the plant 10 as downloaded and stored in the controller 40 and field devices 44 and 46. As described in more detail below, the configuration database 60 stores process control functions that define one or more control strategies of the process control system 22, configuration parameters of the devices 44 and 46, assignments of the devices 44 and 46 to process control functions, and other configuration data related to the process plant 10. The configuration database 60 may also store graphic objects or representations and configuration data associated with these objects, as described in more detail herein, to provide various graphical representations of elements in the process plant 10. Some of the stored graphic objects may correspond to process control functions (e.g., a process graphic developed for a particular PID loop), and other graphic objects may be device-specific (e.g., a graphic corresponding to a pressure sensor).

[0062] Another data historian 62 stores events, alarms, comments, and sequences of actions taken by operators. The events, alarms, and comments may relate to individual devices (e.g., valves, transmitters), communication links (e.g., wired Fieldbus segments, WirelessHART communication links), or process control functions (e.g., PI control loops for maintaining desired temperature set points). Additionally, the knowledge repository 64 stores references, operator log entries, help topics, or links to these or other documentation that operators and maintenance technicians may find useful when monitoring the process plant 10. Furthermore, the user database 66 stores information about users, such as the operators 12 and maintenance technicians 16. For each user, the user database 66 may store, for example, his or her organizational role, the area within the process plant 10 with which the user is associated, work team associations, security information, system privileges, etc.

[0063] Each of the databases 58-66 may be any desired type of data storage or collection unit having any desired type of memory, and any desired or known software, hardware, or firmware for storing data. Of course, the databases 58-66 do not have to reside in separate physical devices. Thus, in some embodiments, some of the databases 58-66 may be implemented on a shared data processor and memory. In general, more or fewer databases may be utilized to store the data collectively stored and managed by the databases 58-66 in the example system of FIG. 1 .

[0064] While the controllers 40, I / O cards 48, and field devices 44 and 46 are typically located within and distributed throughout a sometimes harsh plant environment, the operator workstations 50 and 52 and databases 58-64 are usually located in a control room or other less harsh environment that is easily accessible to the controllers, maintenance personnel, and various other plant personnel. However, in some cases, portable devices are used to implement these functions, and these portable devices are typically carried to various locations within the plant. Such portable devices, and possibly operator workstations and other display devices, may be connected to the plant network 22 via wireless communication connections.

[0065] As is known, each of the controllers 40, which may be, for example, a DeltaV™ controller sold by Emerson Process Management, stores and executes a controller application that implements a control strategy using any number of different, independently executing control modules or blocks 70. Each of the control modules 70 may be made up of what are generally referred to as function blocks, in which each function block is a portion or subroutine of an overall control routine and operates with other function blocks (through communications called links) to implement a process control loop within the process plant 10. As is known, a function block may be an object within an object-oriented programming protocol and typically implements one of the following: an input function, such as those associated with a transmitter, sensor, or other process parameter measurement device; a control function, such as those associated with a control routine implementing PID, fuzzy logic, etc.; or an output function that controls the operation of some device, such as a valve, to implement some physical function within the process plant 10. Of course, hybrid and other types of complex function blocks exist, such as model predictive controllers (MPC), optimizers, etc. Although the Fieldbus and DeltaV system protocols use control modules and function blocks that are designed and implemented in an object-oriented programming protocol, the control modules may be designed using any desired control programming scheme, including, for example, sequential function blocks, ladder logic, etc., and are not limited to being designed and implemented using function blocks or any other particular programming technique. Each of the controllers 40 may also support the AMS® suite of applications sold by Emerson Process Management, which may use predictive intelligence to improve the availability and performance of production assets, including mechanical equipment, electrical systems, process equipment, instruments, non-smart and smart field devices 44, 46, etc.

[0066] In the plant network 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 , the field devices 44 and 46 connected to the controller 40 may be standard 4-20mA devices, smart field devices including a processor and memory, such as HART®, Profibus, or FOUNDATION® Fieldbus field devices, or any other desired type of device. Some of these devices (labeled in FIG. 1 with reference numeral 46), such as the Fieldbus field devices, may store and execute sub-modules, such as modules or function blocks, that are associated with control strategies implemented in the controller 40 or that perform other actions within the process plant, such as data collection, trending, alarming, calibration, etc. Although function block 72 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being located within two different ones of the Fieldbus field devices 46, it may also execute in conjunction with the execution of the control module 70 within the controller 40 to implement process control, as is well known. Of course, field devices 44 and 46 may be any type of device, such as, for example, sensors, valves, transmitters, positioners, etc., and I / O device 48 may be any type of I / O device that complies with any desired communication or control device protocol, such as HART, Fieldbus, Profibus, etc.

[0067] 1 , workstations 50 and 52 may include various applications used for a variety of different functions performed by personnel within plant 10. Each of workstations 50 and 52 includes a memory 80 that stores various applications, programs, data structures, etc., and a processor 82 that may be used to execute any of the applications stored in memory 80. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1 , workstation 50 also includes, in addition to display and viewing application 20, one or more configuration applications 84 that may include, for example, a control module creation application, an operator interface application, and other data structures that may be accessed by any authorized configuration engineer to create and download control routines or modules, such as control modules 70 and 72, to the various controllers 40 and devices 46 of plant 10, and to create displays or dashboards, as described in more detail herein.

[0068] Meanwhile, the display and viewing application 20 provides the operators 12 and maintenance technicians 14 with access to various types of information needed by these users to perform their various jobs or tasks during runtime of the process control network 22. Such information may include typical plant process and instrumentation displays that may illustrate various areas of the plant and the equipment and instrumentation within the plant to provide users with a view into the current state or status of various equipment and process variables within the plant. Furthermore, the display and viewing application 20 may provide control routine information, such as, for example, control loop diagrams, set point settings, etc.; maintenance information, such as, for example, information regarding the health or current operating status of various equipment within the plant; and operational information, such as, for example, throughput and output information.

[0069] More specifically, the display and view application 20 provides various displays during the operation of the process plant 10 to enable the operator 12 to view and control various operations within the process plant 10, or within the area of ​​the process plant 10 to which the operator 12 is assigned, as is common in larger plants. The display and view application 20 can include or cooperate with support applications, such as a control diagnostic application, an adjustment application, a report generation application, or any other control support application that can be used to assist the operator 12 in performing a control function. Such support applications may run on the same or a different computer as the display and view application 20. Furthermore, the viewing application 20 enables the maintenance technician 14 to monitor the plant 10 for maintenance needs, for example, to view the operating or working conditions of the various devices 40, 44, 46, and 48. The display and view application 20 may also be connected to support applications, such as a maintenance diagnostic application, a calibration application, a vibration analysis application, a report generation application, or any other maintenance support application that can be used to assist the maintenance technician 14 in performing a maintenance function within the plant 10.

[0070] Of course, one of workstations 50 and 52 may be a simulation workstation that includes multiple simulation applications that may be used to simulate the operation of plant 10 or various areas of plant 10 for any number of purposes, including for training purposes, for modeling the plant to aid in plant maintenance and control, etc. In this case, one or more of display and viewing applications 20 may be used to provide a simulation operator with an interface into the simulated plant.

[0071] As described above, operator display applications are typically implemented system-wide on one or more workstations to provide operators or maintenance personnel with preconfigured views of the operational status of control systems or devices within the plant. These views are generally information or data received from process control modules or devices within the process plant that are preconfigured for display in a known manner. In some known systems, displays are created through the use of objects that have graphics associated with physical or logical elements and are communicatively coupled to the physical or logical elements to receive data regarding the physical or logical elements. The objects can change graphics on the display screen based on received data to illustrate, for example, that a tank is half full, the flow measured by a flow sensor, etc. Due to the typical size and nature of a plant, multiple interconnected views are typically created for use by various operators and maintenance technicians to view the operation of the plant. In this case, an operator or other user may view a particular view illustrating a particular location or area of ​​the plant and may need to scroll or change to another view illustrating a different area of ​​the plant. Although the displays may have links that allow the user to easily switch or navigate between two displays, these links are pre-configured by the configuration engineer who created the display in the first place. As a result, the operator must be familiar with the set of available displays and links within the displays in order to easily navigate to new displays that may contain the information needed by the operator. In any case, the operator may wish to simultaneously view information provided in different displays, which may be difficult or impossible unless the configuration engineer provides an anticipated mechanism for doing so.

[0072] Furthermore, these operator displays are typically defined within a programming environment and, once completed, deployed for use by operators. If changes are needed to the deployed display, the changes are implemented within the programming environment and the display is then redeployed. Because proper design of displays is essential to the safe operation of a process plant, operators are typically not permitted to change the displays themselves. Additionally, most operators do not have the training necessary to be able to program new displays.

[0073] To solve these and other problems, the display application 20 of the system of FIG. 1 is configured or designed to allow a user to configure new displays or change the configuration of displays so as to show a variety of different types of information that the user wants to view on the same display screen or display screen configuration (if multiple display screens are used simultaneously).

[0074] Specifically, the display application 20 of FIG. 1 allows operators to create their own process displays or dashboards within the same interface that the operators use to operate the process plant. In this system, operators do not need to use or understand a graphics programming application and can create any number of specially configured dashboards as needed for a particular operator task. Generally, the operator can view any of a number of displays, which provide the operator with a pre-configured set of information on one or more user interface display devices or screens. Once created, the display or dashboard may be stored in memory, such as, for example, the workstation's memory 80 or one of the user interfaces from which the operator is working, in the configuration database 60, in the user database 66, etc.

[0075] Generally speaking, operators (or configuration engineers) can create their own displays as dashboards either during plant operation or during configuration activities performed when initially configuring displays for use within plant 10. Essentially, a dashboard is a type of display that has the unique ability to be modified by an operator (or other user) in a standard, pre-configured manner. Each dashboard may have a defined layout, which may be based on a regular grid (column and row) arrangement (3 columns by 2 rows or a 3 by 3 grid) or may be based on an irregular shape or arrangement, such as having rows at the bottom or top of the screen and columns on the left or right of the screen, all to define a dashboard space or set of regions in which different types of information may be shown within the display. Importantly, the grid pattern, and what falls within the space in the dashboard's grid pattern, is modifiable and configurable by the operator.

[0076] In some cases, an operator can easily create content on a dashboard using predefined display-forming units called gadgets. Essentially, to create a dashboard, a user can access a library of gadgets and simply drag and drop a gadget onto the dashboard at a selected location or space within the dashboard. The application 20 then configures the dashboard accordingly to display the gadget in that space or area of ​​the dashboard. If desired, a user can move or manipulate a gadget by selecting the gadget's title bar, although other methods can be used as well. If desired, the application 20 can automatically size gadgets placed within the dashboard (and change the dashboard's grid pattern) based on the selected dashboard layout and the location or space where the gadget is dropped on the dashboard. An operator can modify an existing dashboard by adding, modifying, moving, minimizing, or deleting gadgets on the dashboard. Use of these concepts creates operator displays that are configurable by users during plant runtime, eliminating the need for display configuration engineers to create displays for every possible operator task, making operators more productive because they can quickly create their own set of dashboards as they determine they need these dashboards.

[0077] Additionally, gadgets may be pre-programmed for operators with simple selections and options, hereafter referred to as "aliases." Because these aliases or options are easy to view and manipulate when creating or configuring a gadget, users do not need to have any specialized training or graphics knowledge to create dashboards using gadgets. Furthermore, the inclusion of these selections and options within a gadget may make a single gadget reusable across a variety of different uses or environments, such as for use in displaying any type of process value, parameter, or other process information.

[0078] Once created, dashboards and their associated customized or alias gadgets can be manipulated and organized in a variety of useful ways that make using these dashboards more user-friendly and intuitive, thereby increasing the efficiency of operators who use these dashboards. Generally speaking, application 20 can store or save system dashboards and personal dashboards in memory, such as configuration database 60 of FIG. 1. System dashboards may be pre-configured or pre-made dashboards stored in a system library and available to all or most operators. Personal dashboards may be stored in a system library but are generally associated with a particular user and can be easily found by the user when the user logs into a workstation, for example, in the user's personal folder.

[0079] Furthermore, dashboards created by a user or operator may be automatically saved in the configuration system as system dashboards in the system library and thus available to other users or operators without performing additional configuration activities. Additionally, operators may be able to view dashboards belonging to or created by other users and may use one of these dashboards as a starting point for creating their own dashboard(s). When an operator makes changes to a dashboard owned or created by another user, this new dashboard may be automatically saved as the operator's personal dashboard. Consequently, application 20 can facilitate the creation of customized, modified copies of existing dashboards (e.g., system dashboards) stored in the system library or of the user's or other users' personal dashboards. If a user allows the user to modify other users' system or personal dashboards, application 20 can automatically create a copy for the operator to use as a personal dashboard. If a personal dashboard is found to be useful to multiple individuals, application 20 can enable or allow the personal dashboard to be promoted to a system dashboard stored in the configuration database at any time.

[0080] Additionally, to make dashboards more accessible and to reduce the number of dashboards an operator must view to select an appropriate dashboard for a particular task, application 20 automatically provides operators with an initial set of dashboards and view favorites when they first log in to the system. For example, application 20 may store, for each operator, one or more folders having stored therein that operator's personal dashboards or favorite dashboards or views for that operator, as pre-identified by the operator (e.g., either manually or automatically, such as by tracking previous use of a view or dashboard). These folders make dashboards or views that the operator is likely to use more frequently and immediately available to the operator based on the operator's login credentials.

[0081] While dashboards may be created during plant runtime by operators or other users, dashboards, e.g., system dashboards, may be created by configuration engineers during display configuration activities to provide an initial set of dashboards for operators. Specifically, application 20 or its associated configuration application may include a graphics programming application that provides engineers with a mechanism for creating complex graphic visualizations that are reusable in an editing environment. Generally, these graphic visualizations, referred to herein as graphic element modules (GEMs), are reusable shapes that combine other shapes with behaviors. GEMs are defined and stored as objects within a configuration system, such as in configuration database 60 or user database 66. Subsequent changes to a GEM object may be propagated to other GEMs and all uses of the GEM within displays. Thus, an object corresponding to a GEM may be linked to other objects. However, a configuration engineer may also create gadgets within the graphics programming application, where the gadgets may be GEMs defined to be gadgets and thus available to operators for creating dashboards. GEMs and gadgets may use the same alias concept, and all of the graphic capabilities available to GEMs may be available in gadgets. If, during the creation of a dashboard, an engineer determines that the dashboard should not be further modified, the engineer can change the dashboard from a dashboard to a system view. Such a system view will appear the same to the operator, but can thereafter only be modified within the graphics programming application.

[0082] An engineer can also define portions of a dashboard to be non-modifiable. An example of this is for an engineer to allocate portions of the dashboard to gadgets, while the rest of the dashboard is programmed using standard graphic elements (e.g., circles or rectangles) that are not modifiable by an operator. The operator can then add, modify, rearrange, and delete only the gadgets within the allocated portion of the dashboard. In this manner, GEMs, gadgets, displays, and dashboards are concepts used in both the configuration programming environment and the application or runtime environment.

[0083] Still further, view navigation may be improved by application 20 showing all views (including system views and dashboards) available to the operator in an organized list or set of lists. The lists may use folders to organize references to available views and dashboards. Folders may be used to define views related to portions of a process plant to provide hierarchical navigation through various different physical or logical parts of the plant, or may be used to define views used for a particular task, such as, for example, a "shutdown." Views (or dashboards) can be shown or provided within multiple folders so that the views (or dashboards) are easily accessible for various tasks performed by the user or by the portion of the plant the user is viewing.

[0084] However, because there are often hundreds of views within a control system, application 20 further assists operators by allowing them to organize their most commonly used views into their own favorite view list. The favorites list for an operator may use folders to organize views and allows views to be referenced in multiple folders. As a result of these features, operators do not have to rely on an engineer to program all of the view navigation necessary to optimally perform their tasks.

[0085] Of course, it should be appreciated that dashboards may be treated like any other view within the navigation application 20, and in addition, a particular operator's personal dashboards may be automatically organized to make them easy for the operator to find, both by appearing in the user's folder and by being automatically added to the user's list of favorite views. Furthermore, views are often programmed to include view navigation features such as next, previous, up, and down views. Either a view or a dashboard may be defined with these features in any desired manner. If the currently logged-in operator has created their own personal dashboard from the referenced dashboard, the control system may automatically access that user's personal dashboard in response to a navigation command between views. If the operator has not created their own personal dashboard, a system-defined dashboard may be accessed instead. Furthermore, the application 20 may use the security features of the control system to manage or control which operators can create and modify dashboards. This feature ensures that only operators with the correct process knowledge can create and modify dashboards.

[0086] 2 illustrates an example of a data flow diagram used by or associated with display application 20, as well as details of display application 20 and the manner in which its associated components operate. More specifically, display application 20 is illustrated in FIG. 2 as including main display interface elements or logic 102 and dashboard (display) generator elements or logic 104. It should be understood that main display interface logic 102 includes logic or programming for generating displays on a user interface, such as one of user interfaces 30 or 32 of workstations 50 and 52 of FIG. 1.

[0087] 2, the main display interface logic 102 interacts with a user interface device (illustrated in FIG. 2 only as device 30) to receive user commands and provide and illustrate information to the user using one or more display objects (referred to as displays) currently being viewed or used by the user to view or interact with the plant 10. Of course, the logic 102 receives commands, selections, data, etc. from the user via the user interface 30 to operate and interact with the displays.

[0088] Display interface logic 102 defines the information and display features provided to users via user interface 30 using one (or more) of a set of pre-configured display formats (referred to as views), which may be implemented as display objects within an object-oriented programming environment. These pre-configured views are illustrated or provided as pre-configured views or dashboards stored in display / dashboard library 106. As mentioned above, the views in library 106 may be fixed, non-alterable views created by a configuration engineer, may be system views created by various engineers, or the views in library 106 may be dashboard views promoted by one or more users up to the system level as system dashboards, or the views in library 106 may be personal dashboards (dashboard views) associated with one or more users.

[0089] Of course, when using a particular display or dashboard, as stored in or obtained from the display / dashboard library 106, the main display interface logic 102 can receive or obtain many different types of process and plant information from a variety of different sources within the process plant 10 or control system 22 to which the application 20 is connected in order to populate or generate the display on the user screen or interface 30. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the main display interface logic 102 can receive or obtain information from the configuration database 60 of FIG. 1, which is illustrated in FIG. 2 as including many sources or types of data, including device data and device graphics, control strategy logic and graphics. The configuration database 60 also includes device / control logic relationship information, all of which, and any other data stored in the database, may be provided to the main display interface logic 102 as configuration data. Of course, the logic 102 may obtain this data, or a portion of this data, based on the display (or dashboard) being implemented or executed by the logic 102 at any particular time.

[0090] Further still, as illustrated in Figure 2, the main display interface logic 102 can receive reference data, such as reference documents, help topics, etc., from, for example, the knowledge repository database 64 of Figure 1, or from any other source. Further still, the main display interface logic 102 can receive historical data, such as device history data, from the process data database 58 of Figure 1, and process parameter history from the historian 62 of Figure 1. The main display interface logic 102 can also receive application data from specialized applications, such as control applications, maintenance applications, data analysis applications, regulation applications, etc., that may run in or on workstations, controllers, field devices, or other processing devices of the plant 10. In addition, as illustrated in Figure 2, the main display interface logic 102 can receive real-time data from a process plant interface, which may be, for example, any other control system interface, such as an interface or gateway in the controller 40 of Figure 1. In any event, the real-time data may include real-time controller data, field device data, alarm and alert data, trend data collected by field devices or controllers, or any other real-time data from the process plant 10 or control systems 22 within the plant 10. Any or all of this data, as well as other types of data, may be acquired and received by the main display interface logic 102 and provided to the user in the manner or format required by the display or dashboard currently implemented by the main display interface logic 102 to generate a user display for the user.

[0091] The dashboard display generator logic 104 of application 20 allows a user logged in to or interacting with application 20 to create or generate new dashboards (which are a type of display) that are used by main display interface logic 102 to display information to the user. Specifically, the dashboard display generator logic 104 includes logic or programming executing on a processor (not illustrated in FIG. 2 ) that allows a user to select to create a dashboard, for example, in one of the formats described in more detail below, and to fill out that dashboard in a manner that creates a complete dashboard display that operates to provide the user with specific process control or plant information in a particular format in the manner most desired by the user.

[0092] More specifically, when creating a dashboard, a user can specify a particular dashboard format or layout that defines multiple or various regions or spaces within the display screen, including the size and relative placement of the various regions. If desired, a user can select or use one of the dashboards or views stored in the view / dashboard library 106 as a format or template dashboard and then modify or change the details of the template dashboard to create a new dashboard. Alternatively, a user may define a new dashboard. In either case, after specifying or selecting the format or layout of the dashboard to be created, a user can use one or more gadgets stored in the gadget library 108 to, for example, specify specific display formats or information characteristics for various regions of the dashboard being created. Specifically, a user can select or specify one or more of the gadgets stored in the library 108 and drag and drop these gadgets into various different regions or spaces of the dashboard to associate gadget functionality with these specific locations or regions of the dashboard. If desired, the gadgets in the gadget library 108 may be pre-configured gadgets tied to particular equipment, logic, or data within the plant 10, in which case the gadgets stored in the library 108 have various aliases, names, tags, or connections filled in to cause the gadgets to provide display functionality related to or using particular types of particular plant data received from particular locations within the plant, such as data from particular field devices or particular controllers within the plant, data from the data historian 62 or another database within the plant 10, etc. In this case, the user does not need to configure the gadgets in detail because the gadgets stored in the library 108 are pre-configured and therefore tied to particular plant assets and therefore communicate with that asset during operation as part of an execution dashboard to obtain particular types of data for display to the user.Of course, in this case, a large number of pre-configured gadgets would need to be stored in the gadget library 108 to enable a user to select or find the correctly formatted gadget that is tied to the particular plant asset that the user wants to view in the display.

[0093] On the other hand, gadgets stored in the gadget library 108 may be more general in nature and therefore may not be tied to a specific plant asset when stored in the library 108. In this case, the gadget must be configured by the user during the dashboard creation process. More specifically, when a user selects a particular gadget, the gadget configuration logic in the dashboard display generator logic 104 will allow the user to specify the plant asset or assets of the plant to which the gadget will be connected when used as part of a dashboard. As part of this configuration, the user may be able to search for and select various plant assets to which the gadget will be tied, for example, by tag, name, alias, communication link, etc. In many cases, a gadget may need to receive two, three, or more types of data to perform the display function associated with the gadget, so a particular gadget may need to include multiple links to various data within the plant. In this case, the user may be able to individually specify each of the links to the plant assets or data sources used by the gadget. However, if desired, to assist the user in this task, the gadget library 108 can also store one or more forms that relate to or specify various data sources or links associated with various assets in the plant, allowing the user to specify each of the data sources for a particular plant asset to be used by a gadget by specifying which form should be used. As an example, a form may be created and stored in the gadget library 108 (for example) that lists or stores, in an organized manner, various links to each of the types of data associated with or provided by a particular plant asset, such as a unit, piece of equipment, controller, control loop, etc. The form may be set up as a spreadsheet with various fixed fields that are the same for each of the same type of unit or plant asset.Thus, when a gadget is selected, the gadget may store itself links to various fields of a generic form applicable to a particular type of gadget, or only links to specific operations that the gadget may perform. Thus, a user need only specify the name of or link to a general asset, such as, for example, a particular unit (set of equipment) in a plant, or a set of equipment in a plant, or a controller in a plant, or a control loop in a plant, and the gadget configuration logic will then find a pre-created form for that asset and use that form to fill in the specific links in the gadget for that plant asset, thereby allowing a user to configure a gadget with multiple links to plant assets or multiple types of data in plant 10 simply by specifying the specific asset to which the gadget is bound.

[0094] Furthermore, no matter how the data links are configured within a gadget, a user may need to configure the selected gadget by specifying or selecting various display or behavior options associated with the gadget, such as the type of display elements and animation behavior to be associated with the gadget. For example, the gadget configuration logic may allow the user to indicate whether the gadget should display data as raw data values, as a graph or bar graph, using a trend graph or slider, etc. The gadget configuration logic may also allow the user to specify the colors, fonts, and other formatting characteristics of the display elements created by the gadget, and to specify the particular manner in which the user may interact with the gadget, e.g., using input fields, slider bars, etc. The gadget configuration logic may also allow the user to specify or select any other gadget configuration features.

[0095] After a user creates a new dashboard by configuring each of the desired gadgets and placing them in the desired location, space, or area of ​​the new dashboard using the dashboard display generator logic 104, the user can store the newly created dashboard in the library 106 as a personal dashboard (available to that user) or a system dashboard (available to all or at least some other users). Additionally, if desired, the user can promote the dashboard to a system display by converting the dashboard to a display, meaning that the dashboard cannot be changed thereafter. In either case, the user can, at some point thereafter, select the dashboard to be used by the primary display interface logic 102 to become the display that interfaces with the user to view the runtime operation of the plant 10.

[0096] Additionally, the primary display interface logic 102 may be programmed to provide the user with a list of dashboards and views that are most relevant or that are a particular user's favorites for easy navigation by the user. Specifically, each user may have a set of personal dashboards and favorite dashboards and views stored in a set of user files 110. Upon logging into application 20 or the system used by application 20, as determined by user authentication system 112, the user may be provided with a list of “favorite” views and dashboards and “personal” dashboards, and may select one or more such dashboards or views from these lists at any particular time to select a dashboard or view for use in viewing the operation of plant 10. The user's list of dashboards may be provided as a list of favorite views and / or dashboards, personal views and / or dashboards, or as views or dashboards organized by user role or activity, by plant area, by equipment type, by task, etc. (e.g., personal and system views and dashboards). Thus, the list of views and dashboards (which list refers to the views and dashboards stored in library 106) may be organized to group views and dashboards related to a particular user, a particular group of users, a role performed by a user (e.g., operator role, maintenance role, configuration engineer role, operations manager or plant manager role, etc.), task, etc. Of course, in this case, authentication system 112 can authenticate the user by social security number or any other user identifier, by user login information, or in any other manner that tracks the user with plant control system 22.Upon receiving this user identification information, application 20 can access the list(s) of user views for that user and provide the list(s) to the user as part of the information provided to the user by main display interface logic 102. These lists may be provided to the user using, for example, tabs, drop-down menus, icons, or other lists that are easily selectable and viewable by the user. This feature allows the user to easily find the view or dashboard that the user wants to use when interacting with the plant and to switch or navigate between views or dashboards while performing his or her task.

[0097] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a display screen 150 that may be generated by the main display interface logic 102 of FIG. 2 and provided to a user logged in to the system, which allows a user to select and view one or more views to use to interact with or view plant operations, and to create new dashboards using gadgets. Specifically, display screen 150 includes three main areas, including a title or header bar 152, a navigation pane 154, and a display area 156. Here, header or title bar 152 includes a number of selectable buttons, such as a home button 156 and a dashboard generator 158. Similarly, navigation pane 154 includes a number of tabs, including a “Favorites” tab, an “All Displays” tab, and a “Tags” tab, which a user may use to view lists of views (including dashboards) available to the user. A user can navigate through various lists of views provided by these or other tabs to find and open various views, including system views and dashboards and personal dashboards. For example, a Favorites tab may store a user's predefined favorites or most used views or dashboards, a user's personal dashboards, views or dashboards recently or most used by a user, etc. An All Views tab allows a user to view or select any view stored in the system or in library 106 of FIG. 1 , and a Tags tab can be used to illustrate views or dashboards associated with particular devices, areas, control loops, or other plant tags used in the plant. Of course, these or other tabs may be provided in navigation pane 154 to organize links to views and dashboards in any other desired manner. For example, an "Actions" tab may provide links to views associated with particular actions in the plant, such as startup and shutdown procedures, calibration procedures, adjustment procedures, etc.Other tabs may be provided to list views created or tailored for specific user roles, such as an operator role, a configuration engineer role, a maintenance role, a simulation or training role, etc.

[0098] Of course, a user can use the navigation pane 154 to find or locate and select a particular view (or dashboard) to use and to have the application 20 of FIGS. 1 and 2 use that view to interact with the plant 10 and provide information to the user within the display area 156. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the display area 156 includes a view illustrating a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) for a particular portion of the plant 10 and also provides a number of graphs showing various data or process variables within the P&ID of the plant 10. In addition, the display area 156 includes navigation icons 160 that can be used to move forward, back, up, and down within a set of hierarchically or logically related views. For example, moving back and forward can transition to a view showing a P&ID for the previous or next plant area, while moving up within the view can provide a view associated with a higher level plant, such as a unit or area of ​​the plant, and moving down can illustrate more detailed information about a particular area of ​​the plant, such as control diagrams, equipment diagrams, etc. In some cases, a user can define when creating a dashboard and where that dashboard should be placed in the view navigation hierarchy so that the view will be found and displayed in the appropriate location when using navigation icon 160. In other cases, if a view hierarchy has already been defined, a personal dashboard created by a user from a system view in that hierarchy may be displayed to the user when using navigation icon 160 instead of the system view for which the personal view was created. If a personal dashboard has not been created for a particular system view in the hierarchy, then the system view will be displayed.

[0099] FIG. 4 illustrates a screen display window 62 associated with or created by a dashboard listed in a user's favorites tab (in the navigation pane in display 162). In this case, the dashboard is defined to provide a 4×4 grid of graphs illustrating values ​​of various plant variables that a user may want to view together to compare or monitor the operation of the plant 10. The dashboard window 62 of FIG. 4 may include or be comprised of 16 gadgets, as described in more detail below, each gadget corresponding to or providing one of the graphs in the screen or display window 162 of FIG. 4. Meanwhile, FIG. 5 illustrates a display window 164 comprised of one gadget, a P&ID for part of the plant 10, which may also be in the user's favorites list in the navigation pane. The title bars of both screens 162 and 164 in FIGS. 4 and 5 include a display or dashboard generator icon 166, a dashboard modification icon 167, and a gadget configuration icon 168 that can be used to create a new dashboard or make changes to the dashboard currently displayed in the screen.

[0100] Specifically, when a user selects dashboard generator icon 166, application 20 recognizes that the user wants to create a new dashboard and begins this process. Of course, the user can select a particular dashboard that already has information in it, such as the dashboard of FIG. 5 that proposes a P&ID for a portion of a plant, as a starting point or template dashboard. However, as an initial matter, when allowing the user to create a new dashboard, application 20, and in particular dashboard display generator logic 104 of FIG. 2, allows the user to specify the format or layout of the new dashboard.

[0101] As illustrated in FIG. 6 , a user can first select areas of a dashboard by specifying the setup or arrangement of the dashboard, for example, using a grid pattern. Grid patterns 171 and 173 in FIG. 6 illustrate one example set of grid patterns that can be used to create a dashboard, although numerous other patterns can be similarly specified or used. The dashboard grid pattern can be a regular grid pattern, such as pattern 171 in FIG. 6 (illustrating a 3×3 pattern with uniformly sized areas or spaces), or an irregular grid pattern, such as pattern 173 in FIG. 6 (illustrating a grid pattern with two columns, with eight small areas in the first column and one large area in the second column). Of course, a user can specify a variety of different types or patterns of areas for a dashboard, and the areas can be the same or different sizes and shapes. If desired, dashboard generation logic 104 may also allow a user to specify whether the display within an area is configurable. That is, one or more areas of the dashboard may contain fixed display elements such as a P&ID, while other areas may be configurable, for example, using gadgets available to the user.

[0102] FIG. 7 illustrates an example display window 175 that may be produced by the dashboard generator logic 104 of FIG. 2 that allows a user to define various formatting aspects of the dashboard being created. Specifically, display window 175 includes a title box 177 into which the user can enter the title of the dashboard and a region or display layout design area 179 through which the user can select from a number of predefined dashboard layout designs. Specifically, the user may select one of the predefined dashboard layout designs (each icon in this region designates a different layout design), or the user may indicate whether a grid pattern should be used and may enter the number of rows and columns in the grid pattern using provided input boxes. Furthermore, selection region 181 may be used to select or specify a color or color pattern to be associated with each of the rows or columns or regions of the specified grid pattern, while selection region 183 may allow the user to define various fonts and magnification sizes for the data or text in the dashboard. Of course, these or other types of selection controls may be provided to the user to enable the user to specify a particular dashboard design and arrangement, and of course, dashboard design is not limited to the options illustrated in Figures 6 and 7.

[0103] After a user creates or specifies a dashboard layout design, the user can then populate or specify viewable or displayable features for each of the regions in the dashboard design. For example, the user can select and illustrate a P&ID for a portion of plant 10 in one of the regions of the dashboard and can specify graphs, diagrams, variable information, user controls, etc. to be placed or viewable in other regions of the dashboard. In one embodiment, the user can use gadgets in the gadget library 108 of FIG. 2 to specify the viewable features for each of the regions of the dashboard being created.

[0104] Generally speaking, to populate a dashboard, a user can acquire or select gadgets, such as those stored in gadget library 108 of FIG. 2, to apply to various regions within the dashboard. Of course, dashboard display generator logic 104 may provide a list of gadgets or gadget icons and other information about the gadgets to enable the user to select a gadget to place or use in each of the regions or spaces of the dashboard layout. Thus, for example, when a user selects gadget configuration icon 168 of, for example, a screen of FIG. 4 or 5, dashboard generator logic 104 of FIG. 2 may provide or display, in a pop-up window or otherwise, a number of gadgets and allow or enable the user to thereafter select one of these gadgets for use in the dashboard being created or modified. After selecting a gadget, the dashboard generator logic 104 may then provide a further pop-up window or other type of display to allow the user to easily fill in or specify information about the gadget that is necessary to link the gadget to particular data or elements of the process plant (e.g., data about physical or logical elements within the plant 10 that is stored in a database or provided during real-time operation of the plant 10).

[0105] FIG. 8 illustrates a gadget display 190, depicting one manner in which a gadget may be shown within a display screen when used within a dashboard. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the gadget 190 includes a title bar 192, which may be user-selectable and writable and displays a name that may be provided by the user. The title bar 192 also includes a set of menu icons 194, which may be associated with the gadget and pre-programmed options or features within the gadget to provide various changeable or viewable functionality for the gadget. A border 196 is placed around a gadget use area 198 that illustrates information to the user in one of a number of predefined manners, which may be user-selectable.

[0106] By way of example only, FIG. 9 illustrates a drop-down menu 200 that may be provided to a user by the dashboard generator logic 104 to allow the user to select one or more gadgets (such as those stored in the gadget library 108 of FIG. 2) for use or placement in a dashboard being created or modified. In this case, references to four gadgets are illustrated in the drop-down menu 200. However, references to more or fewer gadgets may be provided to the user. The user can, of course, scroll through the list of provided gadget references to access and select more gadget references. After the user selects a gadget reference, the user may be provided with a screen that enables the user to configure the gadget and define the gadget's online display behavior. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates a display screen or window 210, which may be provided by gadget configuration logic in the display generator logic 104 of FIG. 2, that enables the user to specify the manner in which data will be illustrated in the gadget display area 198 (FIG. 8) on the user interface screen when the gadget is implemented in a dashboard display. The options provided to the user in this case are illustrated as options to (1) display the set point (SP) and process variable (PV) values ​​as raw data values, (2) display the set point and process variable values ​​as bar graphs, or (3) display the set point and process variable values ​​in a default format. Of course, the display screen 210 of FIG. 10 can be used to select the gadget in an initial location. Furthermore, more or other display windows may be provided to provide the user with other selectable options for the gadget or to configure the gadget, and the list of configuration options is not limited to the options illustrated in FIG. 10. In fact, numerous other types of display or animation features can be provided as part of optional gadget functionality, including the use of graphs, animations, fillable items such as tanks, movable items such as valve components, and the like.

[0107] In any case, after a user selects a gadget and specifies the gadget's animation and display characteristics, the gadget configuration logic in the dashboard generator logic 104 of FIG. 2 may provide a configuration screen that allows the user to bind the gadget or variables or display features illustrated in the gadget to data or elements within the plant 10. FIG. 11 illustrates a configuration screen 210 in which, when the user selects the gadget configuration feature at the top of FIG. 10 , a further configuration area 212 is provided to the user. Area 212 includes user entry boxes 214, 216, and 218 that allow the user to configure the gadget by specifying data within the plant 10 for the gadget to use or to which the gadget is to be bound for display purposes. User entry box 214 may be used to let the user enter a title for the gadget, which may be displayed, for example, in the title bar 192 of the gadget window of FIG. 8 . Boxes 216 and 218 may be used to let the user specify specific data or links to data that will be used by the gadget logic in creating the display characteristics for the gadget. In this case, the user may be able to enter the name or alias of the data the gadget uses, or the user may be provided with a drop-down menu from which to select a link to the data. Although not illustrated in FIG. 11 , the user may also be able to specify a format to use with the gadget, which automatically enables fields 216 and 218 to be filled in appropriately. Of course, fields 216 and 218 may be filled in automatically by gadget generation logic based on the context of the gadget or the dashboard in which the gadget is being used. For example, boxes 214 and 216 or the menus providing these boxes may be filled in based on an existing P&ID in the dashboard, to limit or narrow the field of search a user may have to perform to find the correct data link or alias.Another section 220 of the configuration area 212 may be used by the user to indicate when to update the gadget with new values. In this case, selectable options offered to the user include automatic update when a data change occurs, update after prompting the user, or no update. Of course, other options may be offered as well that allow the user to define these or other behaviors of the gadget during runtime.

[0108] Once created or configured, the gadget can then be placed in one of the spaces or predefined areas of the dashboard as predefined by the user, and the gadget then operates or executes during runtime to provide the type of information and in the manner specified or configured by the user during the gadget configuration activity. Of course, the user can configure or create other gadgets for each of the other areas or spaces of the dashboard being created, thereby creating or configuring the entire dashboard. The application 20 can then store the dashboard as created in the dashboard library 106 of FIG. 2 and can place the created dashboard in one or more user lists for that user or other users to enable easy access of the dashboard by that user or other users.

[0109] 12-16 illustrate a process that may be implemented by a user through interaction with the application 20 on the user interface when the application 20, using the dashboard generation logic 104, allows a user to add new gadgets to an existing dashboard, update or modify a dashboard, or the process of creating a new dashboard. The dashboard 300 of FIG. 12 includes several sections or regions, including a main region 302 on the upper left side of the diagram that contains a P&ID for a portion of the process plant 10, and various pre-configured charts in the form of charts 304, 306, 308, 310, and 312 on the lower side of the diagram 302. In this example, the P&ID 302 and charts 304-312 are pre-configured portions of the dashboard and cannot be changed by the user in this dashboard. These portions of the dashboard may have been created by a configuration engineer as part of a system display or dashboard during a configuration activity. However, dashboard 300 of Figure 12 also includes therein a number of gadgets in the form of gadgets 314, 316, and 318 (illustrated by the use of title bars in these displays, consistent with the gadget display format of Figure 8). In this case, a user may wish to add a new gadget to the set of gadgets in the display area and may thereby select add or configure gadget icon 320 on the display to begin the process of adding the gadget to dashboard 300. As illustrated in Figure 13, a pop-up window 330 appears on display screen 300, presenting a set of potential gadgets that may be added or stored in gadget library 108 of Figure 2. The pop-up screen 330 may include several pre-configured gadgets, as stored in the gadget library 108, which may already be configured for particular process variables, such as one or more of the variables in the P&ID 302 in the dashboard 300, variables in the charts or graphs 304-312 or variables associated with process values, or even variables used in other gadgets 314-318.The user can scroll down the list of gadgets provided in the pop-up window 330 and can select one of the gadgets to add by clicking or selecting the appropriate add button. Of course, other configuration screens may be provided to the user to fully specify the gadget in any other manner, such as, for example, any of the manners described above.

[0110] After selecting the Add button, the gadget configuration logic of the application 20 can create the actual gadget and begin running the gadget within the dashboard 300. As illustrated in FIG. 14 , a display window 340 for this gadget is created in a separate window on top of the dashboard view or display 300 and is illustrated or highlighted to the user to allow the user to place the gadget window 340 where desired within the dashboard 300. In this case, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the user selects or grabs the gadget 340 (e.g., using a mouse) and moves the gadget 340 to a position between the gadget 318 and the bar graph 312. The user can then drop the gadget 340 in the desired location, whereupon the dashboard generation logic 104 of FIG. 2 places the gadget 340 in that location on the dashboard. 16, when the user drops gadget 340 in the appropriate location, dashboard generation logic 104 can install the gadget in that location and automatically resize the other gadgets 314-318, reconfiguring dashboard 300 to include four gadgets on the right side instead of three. Of course, if the user wants to define a new gadget instead of simply selecting a pre-configured gadget in library 108, the user can use the process illustrated or described above to fill in or write configuration fields for the gadget to identify the process variable(s) or other information to be displayed by the gadget and the manner in which the information will be displayed, e.g., using a bar graph, graph, flowchart, flow diagram, etc.

[0111] 17-19 illustrate various locations where application 20 can be implemented within a process plant or process control network. Specifically, FIG. 17 illustrates multiple control systems 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, and 408 connected to a data highway or bus 410 that in turn connects to various operator interfaces 420, each of which may be an operator workstation or interface within the plant. Control systems 401-408 may be Fieldbus systems, HART, wireless HART systems, or mixed systems associated with a single plant or multiple different plants. Operator interfaces 420 may implement or execute application 20 to perform display and dashboard creation and configuration activities using the techniques described herein. Additionally, each of display applications 20 may interface with control networks 401-408 and process control devices therein to obtain data and provide graphical displays and dashboard editing, for example, using the gadgets described herein. Additionally, one of the workstations 420 may be connected to a gateway 422 to act as a gateway to external sources of data.

[0112] Similarly, FIG. 18 illustrates a set of process control plants 430 that may be connected to the Internet via various gateway devices 422, such as the gateway device 422 illustrated in FIG. 17, or directly, allowing plant data to be provided to applications 20 running in operator devices 450 that are connected together via the Internet or other communications networks separate from the plant network 430. In this example, the applications 20 may have portions running in the devices on or above the plant network 430, or may simply have a client interface on the devices 450 that acts as a web client. In other cases, the applications 20 may run within the devices 450 and communicate via the web (Internet) and the gateway devices 422 to access information sources within the plant or plant network 430. Thus, for example, using the user interface 450 of FIG. 18, the various control networks 430 transmit data through the gateway device 422 to various web-enabled displays running on computers or display devices 450 connected to the Internet.

[0113] Similarly, Figure 19 illustrates an example network in which application 20 may be executed within various operator or other computer devices or workstations 420 within a plant network, and within various computer devices or workstations 490 within a local area network (LAN) connected to the plant network via a firewall device 494. Of course, in these configurations, application 20 may perform the same functionality as described herein and communicate over various networks in known manners to provide displays and dashboards to users and enable those users to configure or create dashboards using the gadgets described herein. Of course, the same operational interfaces may be made available within the systems of Figures 17-19 in either a rich desktop or web interface.

[0114] 20 illustrates a window 500 that may be provided by application 20 to allow a user to configure user settings, such as the placement of dashboards and views in user folders, and may allow a user to add a view (or dashboard), move a view (or dashboard), rename a view (or dashboard), delete a view (or dashboard), or move a view (or dashboard) into a folder. Of course, using window 500 of FIG. 20, a user can select a listed view and use controls 502 to perform functions on the selected view or folder.

[0115] 21 illustrates a gadget properties dialog box 510 that may be used or provided by application 20 to configure or view gadget properties or to set up shortcuts to other views within a dashboard. In this case, the user can use input box 512 to indicate display links for shortcuts to these views or to other documents or information within the plant within the particular dashboard being created.

[0116] It will be appreciated that the display and dashboard creation and modification techniques described herein can be used to enable users to easily create dashboards without the expertise associated with graphic design programs and without the need for in-depth knowledge of database path names and data locations. These techniques also enable rapid navigation to and between displays, allowing users to become proficient without the need for formal training.

[0117] As an example, display application 20 may be implemented as a rich-client desktop application that may operate like a web browser, providing process graphic browsing instead of website browsing, along with tools to simplify view navigation (e.g., favorites, search, keystroke hierarchical navigation, etc.). Conceptually, therefore, all of the views viewable within or through application 20 behave as web pages with unique URLs. Functionality that users are accustomed to using Internet Explorer may be supported.

[0118] Furthermore, in one implementation, a computing environment for developing control logic for process control and / or observation systems automatically provides role-dependent views or displays to engineers and other users. Specifically, the computing environment can filter and organize engineering tools and information according to the user's role within a corresponding organization, e.g., production manager, maintenance manager, control systems engineer, electrical and instrumentation engineer, etc. The computing environment can then provide the filtered information and tool selections to the user within a view or display that includes, for example, a particular user interface screen, multiple renditions of a user interface screen, a set of related user interface screens displayed simultaneously, etc. Thus, two users with different organizational roles may see different selections and / or organizations of software-related applications, libraries, assets, data trees, etc. upon login. Optionally, these applications can include different system views and dashboards based on the user role. Furthermore, as these users make selections and invoke functions within their respective views, the computing environment can continue to filter and organize the information according to the user's role. As a result, users can find relevant information more easily and quickly.

[0119] A role-dependent view may include any suitable number of user interface screens having information such as, for example, (i) visualizations including process displays, dashboards, various faceplates, machine views, etc.; (ii) logic displays depicting control modules, phases, recipes, calculations, functions, etc.; (iii) instruction or "knowledge" displays including standard operating procedures, device manuals, material handling nodes, loop diagrams, etc.; (iv) business information displays illustrating orders, equipment tracking, material consumption, electricity consumption, etc.; (v) system health displays including equipment status data, device alerts, vibration data, etc.; and (vi) input / output devices. As an example, when a control systems engineer logs in, the computing environment may generate process displays and dashboards as part of the visualization, control modules, phases, calculations, and functions as part of the logic display, and loop diagrams, etc. as part of the knowledge display. Meanwhile, when an electrical and instrumentation engineer logs in, the computing environment may generate device dashboards as part of the visualization, calculations as part of the logic, and device manuals as part of the knowledge display. A role-dependent view may include multiple screens, and navigation between screens is also role-dependent. Thus, for example, when a computing environment displays equipment status to both a process control engineer and an electrical and instrumentation engineer, the computing environment may provide a link (e.g., a button in a toolbar, an option in a pull-down menu, an icon displayed next to an equipment unit) to the electrical and instrumentation engineer to navigate directly to equipment tracking, but may not provide this link to the process control engineer.

[0120] In a sense, the computing environment organizes functions and data into layers. The mapping of layers to user-dependent views may be specific to a software application or the entire computing environment, as desired. In an example implementation, the computing environment retrieves user roles from a database and uses respective configuration files to identify layers of information mapped to the user's roles for a selected software application to generate role-dependent views. Because roles within an organization can be defined at any desired number of levels, the computing environment can overlay multiple layers of functions and data to generate specific views. For example, the role of a maintenance manager may correspond to multiple sub-roles depending on the technical areas for which the maintenance manager is responsible. In general, a role definition can include any number of stages. A user can further configure their view and, in some cases, override the mapping of layers to their role-dependent views.

[0121] More generally, the computing environment can provide role-dependent views for all personnel involved in configuring, operating, monitoring, etc., the process control environment. One such role may be that of an operator, responsible for monitoring process parameters such as flow, level, temperature, pressure, etc., observing events associated with process control loops, and generally ensuring the accuracy of control logic implemented within the process plant. Another role may be that of a maintenance technician, responsible for observing and calibrating individual field devices and generally monitoring equipment used within the process control plant. Yet another role may be that of a network administrator, responsible for network connectivity between workstations, controllers, data servers, databases, and other network devices, plant network security, installing software updates, etc. As a more specific example, an operator interface allows an operator to monitor the operation of a process plant in which multiple field devices perform process control functions that define a control strategy. A computing environment that provides role-dependent operator views can generate views at the operator workstation with information specific to the operator's role, rather than providing a comprehensive operator view. The computing environment can perform this task using displays and dashboards generated in the manner described herein. To this end, the computing environment may require the operator to log in or otherwise identify their role. In addition to providing role-specific layer controls and information to the operator, the computing environment may support persistent (i.e., lasting for the duration of the login session) user-specific configurations.

[0122] Role-dependent operator views can generate a graphical representation of a process plant ("process graphic") and display additional information about selected portions of the process plant according to the operator's role. The process graphic can include, for example, a graphical or schematic depiction of field devices (e.g., valves, pumps, sensors, transmitters) involved in the corresponding process control function, the equipment (e.g., tanks, mixers) on which these field devices operate, the connections (e.g., pipes) for conductive process fluid between the field devices and the equipment, and the (e.g., wired, wireless) links between the field devices. The user interface can display the additional information on auxiliary displays, implemented, for example, as one or more separate windows, a graphic layer overlaid on the process graphic, or text and / or graphics on a banner placed below, above, or adjacent to the process graphic.

[0123] In some situations, an operator selects a location on the process graphic and activates a control on the user interface, such as a button, to request a supplemental display from the user interface. In other situations, the user interface automatically activates a supplemental display in response to the detection of an abnormal condition, according to a preconfigured schedule, or based on another event. The user interface can interpret the location the user selects according to the user's organizational role. Thus, by clicking on a location on or near the graphic illustrating a flow sensor, a maintenance technician can select the physical device (i.e., the flow sensor), while an operator can select the control loop on which the flow sensor will operate.

[0124] For the operator, the assistance display (or "operator assistance display") may include, for example, a configuration display that depicts the control logic implemented by a particular portion of the process plant as multiple interconnected logic blocks. In some cases, the logic blocks are Foundation™ Fieldbus function blocks. The operator assistance display may also include a parameter history display to illustrate the history of a particular process parameter (e.g., flow rate at the input to a particular processing step). Additionally, the operator assistance display may include a knowledge display that lists links to internal and external documentation available for a portion of the process plant, provide access to operator run logs, suggest help topics, etc. Still further, the operator assistance display may include a device dependency display that lists identifiers of field devices used in the portion of the process plant to which the process graphic corresponds. The device dependency display may retrieve device-specific graphics from a configuration database to display adjacent identifiers of field devices. If desired, the operator assistance display may automatically include a detailed display that provides detailed information related to devices used in the portion of the process plant to which the process graphic corresponds, interlocks associated with those devices and corresponding interlock conditions, alarms generated for the portion of the process plant, adjustment parameters, etc.

[0125] As yet another example, if the user is a maintenance technician or associated with a maintenance person, the assistance display (or “maintenance assistance display”) may include a control dependency display for a selected device that identifies part of the control strategy (e.g., control loop) on which the device operates. The maintenance assistance display may also include knowledge displays generally similar to those generated for operators. Specifically, the knowledge displays may list links to internal and external documentation available for the device, as well as links to operator logs, help topics, etc. Additionally, the maintenance assistance display may include diagnostic displays that help the maintenance technician locate physical devices within the process plant, identify the source of alarms, and determine relationships between devices and other equipment. The diagnostic displays may, for example, depict a Fieldbus segment with multiple devices connected to it, highlight the corresponding graphic, identify the device from which an alarm was received by displaying an exclamation mark or other visual indicator next to the device, or in any other suitable manner. Furthermore, the maintenance assistance display can include a device description display, which in some implementations includes a device identification matching Extended Device Description Language (EDDL), device configuration and setup data, and device diagnostic data. In some cases, the device description display includes a so-called device faceplate, implemented as a photograph or drawing that is identical or similar to the actual physical appearance of the device, and optionally, multiple dials or meters for depicting device-specific process data (e.g., pressure setpoint, pressure measurements, rate of valve travel). If the device is an intelligent valve running corresponding valve software (e.g., the AMS ValveLink application available from Emerson Process Management™ as part of PlantWeb®), the maintenance assistance display may additionally include a valve software display that is updated with data output by the valve software.

[0126] The computing environment can include a display generator having a primary display generator and an auxiliary display generator. The primary display generator displays process graphics on a user interface, for example, as defined by a configuration engineer, and the auxiliary generators dynamically select and display additional information in response to detecting an event within the process plant or receiving a command from the user interface. The display generators interact with at least one of the process plants via a process plant interface to acquire real-time process data, a configuration database to acquire control strategy information, such as, for example, control logic, device configuration data, process and device graphics, links between control strategies and devices, one or more specialized applications for acquiring application data, a historian for receiving historical data related to process or device parameters, and a knowledge database for receiving reference information.

[0127] In some cases, the display generator operates with a display structure that defines multiple layers, such as an operator layer, a maintenance layer, a network layer, etc. The display generator can update information associated with each layer using real-time process data regardless of the user's organizational role, but will activate the display of only one or more selected layers according to the currently selected view (e.g., operator, maintenance).

[0128] Process graphics can be developed using objects that include graphic components and interfaces to one or more physical devices for updating the graphic components in real time. Some objects may be dedicated to control strategies (e.g., a PID loop object) and some may be dedicated to devices (e.g., a temperature sensor object). The user interface filters data received from the process plant by the objects to display information relevant to the user's organizational role. Alternatively, process graphics can be developed using hard-coded references to devices. When generating auxiliary displays, the user interface can retrieve configuration data specifying the relationships between control strategies and devices from one or more configuration databases and use the retrieved information to automatically generate operator auxiliary displays, maintenance auxiliary displays, or other auxiliary displays specific to the user.

[0129] The auxiliary displays may be user-configurable, e.g., using the dashboard and gadget technology described herein, so that individual users can specify which information should be included in which locations within a corresponding auxiliary display. In some embodiments, the computing environment automatically switches an operator auxiliary display to a maintenance auxiliary display, or vice versa, in response to a command received from a user interface. Thus, for example, the display system may switch between various different user displays at a user display device in the form of system displays according to the organization of the process plant, such that the different displays may be linked in an ordered and predetermined manner, e.g., according to the process plant equipment layout or the process plant's control hierarchy. However, if the display system recognizes that a particular user has a personalized user display created from or corresponding to a particular system display, e.g., for an area or portion of the plant, the display system may automatically provide the user with the user's personalized display or dashboard instead of the system display or dashboard in the set of ordered displays when switching between displays in an organized or predetermined manner (e.g., by drilling down into a display where a more specific display exists or by moving upstream or downstream within the plant to view a different portion of the process plant). Thus, a personalized dashboard or view may automatically switch to a system view when a user is navigating between views in an organized or predetermined manner, such as using "drill in" or "drill out" or "move upstream" or "move downstream" navigation buttons within a view such as a P&ID.

[0130] Therefore, in view of the foregoing, the techniques, systems, methods, apparatus, and devices described herein enable changes to display objects and display configurations integrated within a process plant or process control system that alter their operation and / or behavior in a user-friendly, easily understood manner, so that real-time operation of a portion of the process plant or process control system (or, as the case may be, the entire plant or system) is not adversely affected. Additionally, because changes can be applied gradually to the process elements of the process plant or system in a controlled manner (e.g., instead of waiting until a suitable time to update all process elements), unnecessary delays in the application of changes to a portion of the process plant or process control system (or, as the case may be, the entire plant or system) are reduced, thus increasing the overall efficiency and productivity of the process plant or system over time.

[0131] Additionally, the techniques, systems, methods, apparatus, and devices described herein enable modifications or changes to operator and maintenance displays to be approved or made, for example, within the runtime environment of a process plant or control system, such that the changes made are quickly, accurately, and efficiently integrated into the process plant or system, thereby increasing the quality of operation of the process plant or system.

[0132] Furthermore, the techniques, systems, methods, apparatus, and devices described herein with respect to graphical elements and displays enable a process plant or process control system to be observed, controlled, and / or operated more safely and efficiently in real time. Specifically, an operator can configure graphical elements and / or displays specifically tailored or customized for a particular observation, control, and / or operation of one or more portions of a process control system or plant in both a real-time or plant runtime operating environment and a configuration environment. The operator can save these customized graphical elements and / or displays for general (e.g., plant-wide or system-wide, real-time or configuration) access, use, reuse, and incorporation in a manner that is easily discoverable by the operator or others. Thus, because the configuration of the graphical element(s) and / or graphical display(s) is streamlined and fully customizable in multiple environments, operator confusion and errors are reduced, thereby enabling the operator to operate the process plant or system efficiently and safely.

[0133] Furthermore, because the graphical element(s) and / or display(s) are customized for a particular purpose for a particular portion of or the entire process plant or system, real-time data generated by a particular portion of or the entire process plant or system (e.g., during control of one or more processes) and requiring necessary manual and / or automatic intervention can be easily and quickly determined using the graphical element(s) and / or display(s). In some cases, the data, configurations, and / or instructions delivered to the process plant or system result in changes to the process plant or system (e.g., updated or new configurations for process elements) or its operation. In some cases, the delivered data, configurations, and / or instructions cause the process plant or control system to perform an action (e.g., removing a particular process element from operation, rerouting generated data from one source to another, etc.). Thus, because the techniques, methods, and systems described herein enable graphical elements and / or displays to generate more customized and detailed information (especially with respect to real-time data generated by the process plant or system), any necessary modifications to the control and / or operation of one or more portions of the process plant or process control system can be more quickly determined and integrated into the run-time environment of the process plant or control system. Thus, with the techniques, methods, and systems described herein, the efficiency and safety of the process plant or system are further increased.

[0134] When implemented in software, any of the display and dashboard configuration applications described herein may be stored in any computer-readable memory, such as a magnetic disk, laser disk, or other storage medium, in the RAM or ROM of a computer or processor, etc. Similarly, this software or modules thereof may be delivered to a user, process plant, or operator workstation using any known or desired delivery method, such as on a computer-readable disk or other portable computer storage mechanism, or over a communications channel such as a telephone line, the Internet, the World Wide Web, and any other local or wide area network (where the delivery is viewed in the same way or interchangeably as such provided software via a portable storage medium). Furthermore, this software may be provided directly without modulation or encryption, or may be modulated and / or encrypted before transmission over a communications channel using any suitable modulation carrier and / or encryption technique.

[0135] While the example systems disclosed herein are disclosed as including, among other components, software and / or firmware executing on hardware, it should be noted that such systems are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of these hardware, software, and firmware components may be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, or in any combination of hardware and software. Thus, while the example systems described herein are described as being implemented in software executing on the processors of one or more computing devices, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the provided example is not the only way to implement such a system.

[0136] Thus, while the invention has been described with reference to particular examples, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this is intended to be illustrative only and not limiting of the invention, and that modifications, additions, or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. 1. A user display system, comprising: a first library stored on a tangible computer readable medium that executes using one or more computer processors to store one or more executable graphical elements, each executable graphical element including (i) an executable gadget configured to be executed and (ii) one or more links to data within a process control system that is displayed using the gadget; a second library stored on a tangible computer readable medium that is executable using one or more computer processors to store one or more executable user interface presentations, at least one of the executable user interface presentations defining a dashboard and one or more regions within the dashboard, each of the one or more regions within the dashboard having one or more non-modifiable regions and one or more modifiable sub-regions, each of the one or more modifiable sub-regions operable to accept different executable graphic elements used to present information in the modifiable sub-region, each executable user interface presentation including a link between each of the one or more modifiable sub-regions and a corresponding one of the executable graphic elements of the first library, and including an executable gadget corresponding to one of the executable graphic elements of the first library; a user display execution routine stored on a tangible computer readable medium; The user display execution routine, on one or more processors, accepting user inputs for configuring an executable user interface presentation from the one or more executable user interface presentations, the user inputs (i) specifying a location of the modifiable sub-region within the executable user interface presentation region and (ii) specifying one or more links to data within the process control system for use by executable graphical elements selected from the first library, including executable gadgets; creating a link between the executable graphic element selected from the first library and the modifiable sub-region of the dashboard when the user specifies the link by dragging and dropping an indication of the executable graphic element onto the modifiable sub-region within the executable user interface presentation region; and presenting a single view on a user display device based on the user's input using the executable user interface presentation format and the executable graphical elements including the executable gadgets, wherein the single view is generated based on the executable user interface presentation format and the executable graphical elements including the executable gadgets.

2. The user display system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the non-modifiable regions includes a fixed display element and a fixed link to process control data presented in the fixed display element.

3. The user display system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the executable gadget includes a piping and instrumentation diagram for a portion of a process.

4. 4. A user display system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said one of the executable user interface presentation forms is configurable such that different executable graphical elements can be associated with one of the regions during runtime of said executable user interface presentation form.

5. 5. The user display system of claim 1, wherein the one of the executable user interface presentation formats is configurable to allow a user to associate one of the executable graphic elements associated with a first one of the regions of the one of the executable user interface presentation formats with a second one of the regions of the one of the executable user interface presentation formats.

6. 6. The user display system of claim 1, wherein the one of the executable user interface display formats is configurable to allow a user to vary the location or number of one or more of the regions associated with the dashboard.

7. The user display system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the executable gadget of at least one of the executable graphical elements comprises a piping and instrumentation diagram for a portion of a process.

8. The user display system of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one of the executable gadgets of the executable graphical elements comprises a graph.

9. 9. The user display system of claim 1, wherein the executable gadget of at least one of the executable graphical elements includes a trend graph, and the link to data in a process control system includes a link to process data trended in the trend graph.

10. 10. A user display system according to any preceding claim, wherein said one of said user interface display formats is configurable to enable the size of the display on said user interface display format to be varied.

11. 11. The user display system of claim 1, further comprising an executable graphic element creation routine stored on a tangible computer readable medium that executes on one or more processors to enable a user to create or modify one or more of the executable graphic elements and store the created or modified one or more of the executable graphic elements as new executable graphic elements in the tangible computer readable medium of the first library.

12. One of the executable graphical elements may be a graphical element that is dragged onto the region on a user interface presentation displayed on a user display device. A user display system according to any preceding claim, wherein a user can be associated with one of said regions by tagging the user with the region.

13. 13. The user display system of claim 1, further comprising: displaying one or more folders containing references to one or more of the executable user interface presentation formats when stored in the second library.

14. 14. The user display system of claim 13, wherein one of the one or more folders stores references to executable user interface presentations associated with a particular user.

15. 15. The user display system of claim 13 or 14, wherein one of the one or more folders stores references to executable user interface displays associated with a particular area of ​​a process plant.

16. 16. A user display system according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein one of the one or more folders stores references to executable user interface presentations associated with particular tasks.

17. 17. A user display system according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein one of the one or more folders stores references to executable user interface displays that are accessible by multiple users.

18. 18. A user display system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein one of the one or more folders stores references to executable user interface display forms that are associated with a particular user and that are only accessible via security procedures implemented for that particular user.

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