Systems and methods for configuring and presenting a display navigation hierarchy in a process plant

A computing device for configuring a layout of an operator display in a process plant, the computing device comprising:

• one or more processors;
• a user interface;
• a communication unit;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors, the user interface, and the communication unit, the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a graphical display configuration application thereon executing in a configuration environment of a process plant that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing device to:
• present, via the user interface, a graphical user control for selecting one of a plurality of layouts in which display views depicting process control elements included in an operating environment of the process plant are presented in an operator application in the operating environment of the process plant, wherein each of the plurality of layouts divides one or more user interfaces into a plurality of display regions, wherein each of the plurality of layouts defines the plurality of display regions for dividing a display screen area in the operating environment, and wherein at least one of the plurality of layouts includes at least a first display region and a second display region each being a separate, rectangular visible area, and includes a link between at least the first display region and the second display region, such that the second display region is dependent on the process control elements of the first display region so that data presented in the second display region related to the process control elements being graphically displayed in the first display region changes when the process control elements graphically displayed in the first display region change in response to a selection of a user control by a user to navigate to a display view of a graphical representation of a different set of process control elements;
• receive, via the graphical user control, a selection of the at least one layout of the plurality of layouts;
• and
• download, to the operator application, the selected layout having the plurality of defined display regions and a plurality of display views into a user interface device different from the computing device for execution in the operating environment of the process plant to thereby cause a presentation, at the user interface device, of the plurality of display views within the plurality of defined display regions according to the selected layout.