Interface controls for use in a field device management system

A control adapted for use by a management system that includes a user interface and that is capable of being coupled to a plurality of field devices, each having a device description associated therewith, the control comprising:

• means for communicating with the plurality of field devices and the device descriptions to effect communication with respect to a multiplicity of groups of logically related items of device data stored in the plurality of field devices and the device descriptions;
• means for implementing a particular control for a particular one of the multiplicity of groups of logically related items of device data including,
• means for controlling the communicating means to retrieve the items of device data within the particular one of the multiplicity of groups of logically related items of device data to produce a retrieved group of items of device data, and
• means for displaying the retrieved group of items of device data via the user interface in a predefined format;
• means for identifying any of the multiplicity of groups of logically related items of device data as the particular one of the multiplicity of groups of logically related items of device data;
• and
• means responsive to the identifying means for invoking the implementing means to create the particular control for the particular one of the multiplicity of groups of logically related items of device data.

A method of controlling communication between a management system, having a user interface, and a plurality of field devices, each having a device description associated therewith, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a generalized interfacing routine which, for any particular one of a plurality of different groups of logically related items of the device data performs the steps of;
• retrieving the items of device data associated with the particular one of the groups of logically related items of device data as stored in the plurality of field devices and the device descriptions,
• displaying the retrieved items of device data associated with the particular one of the groups via the user interface in a predefined format,
• recognizing when one of the items of device data stored in one of the plurality of field devices changes, and
• indicating, via the user interface, the change to the one of the items of device data when the one of the items of device data corresponds to one of the retrieved items of device data associated with the particular one of the groups;
• and
• using the generalized interfacing routine to perform communication for a multiplicity of the plurality of different groups of logically related items of device data.