Method for conditioning a tool for configuring a freely programmable control device

A method for conditioning a tool for configuring a programmable control device for integrating intelligent field devices in a control or automation system having an expandable hardware structure, in which device-related information is hierarchically arranged and visualized as objects of a multi-branched tree structure, the method comprising:

• recording, during use of the tool, use of objects by a user over a service life of the control or automation system;
• determining the usage frequency of individual objects of the control or automation system from the historical usage data;
• allocating objects with a high usage frequency, which are subordinate to a hierarchically superordinate object, to an object list which is assigned to a respective superordinate object;
• and
• when using a given hierarchically superordinate object, displaying the object list containing the objects with a high usage frequency which are hierarchically subordinate to the given hierarchically superordinate object in the tool, for access by the user for selection.