Method and system for configuring programmable IO controllers and searching connectable IO modules thereof

A system of configuring an input-output (IO) hardware device in an industrial automation system via a user interface for configuring hardware configuration of a plurality of IO modules each operatively connectable to a slot of the IO hardware device, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• store in a database, a plurality of hardware description files for a plurality of IO modules each operatively connectable to a slot of an IO hardware device, each of the plurality of hardware description files including at least one hardware description value;
• generate instructions for a processor to display, via a display a user interface (i) a first pane comprising one or more graphical elements each corresponding to an IO module slot associated with the IO hardware device, and (ii) a search input comprising a graphical element corresponding to an input text field;
• receive, via the input text field of the user interface, an input character string;
• filter, by the processor, the plurality of hardware description files in the database based on the received input character string to determine one or more matched IO modules of the plurality of IO modules, wherein each matched IO module of the one or more matched IO modules is compatibly associated with the IO hardware device, and wherein each matched IO module of the one or more matched IO modules has a hardware description value associated with the identified description type and matching the input character string;
• generate instructions for a processor to display, via the display, in the user interface, a second pane having one or more graphical elements each corresponding to a given matched IO module;
• receive, via a user selection on the second pane, a selection of a matched IO module in the second pane, and a selection of an IO module slot in the first pane;
• generate instructions for the processor to update, in the first pane, the graphical element associated with the selected IO module slot with a graphical element associated with the selected IO module;
• retrieve, by the processor, hardware configuration data associated with the selected IO module;
• and
• update, by the processor, a software configuration of the user interface, wherein the software configuration is subsequently converted to configuration instructions to be transmitted to the IO hardware device to cause hardware configuration of at least one of the plurality of IO modules operatively connectable thereto, to thereby configure the IO hardware device to utilize the selected IO module.