System for configuring a process control environment

A system for configuring a process control environment comprising:

• a computer system having a processor coupled to a display device;
• means for presenting a stencil view, the stencil view including a stencil object representing a process control module;
• means for presenting a diagram view on the display device, the diagram view representing a process control environment configuration;
• a user interface, operatively coupled to the display device, for controlling the dragging of the stencil object from the stencil view to the diagram view and for controlling the dropping of the stencil object on the diagram view in a position indicative of a location of the process control module in the process control environment.

A system for generating new a process control environment comprising:

• a computer system having a processor coupled to a display device;
• means for presenting a stencil view, the stencil view including a plurality of stencil object representing respective process control modules;
• means for presenting a diagram view on the display device, the diagram view representing a process control environment configuration when the process control environment is generated;
• a user interface, operatively coupled to the display device, for controlling the dragging of one or more of the plurality of stencil objects from the stencil view to the diagram view and for controlling the dropping of the stencil objects on the diagram view in positions indicative of a location of the respective process control module in the process control environment;
• and
• means for interconnecting the dropped stencil objects to provide the new process control environment.