Process control configuration system with connection validation and configuration

Apparatus for configuring a process control system, the apparatus executing on a digital data processor and comprising:

• one or more objects, each representing an entity and each being associated with an object type,
• each object being associated with one or more parameters that pertain to characteristics of the entity represented by the object, each parameter being associated with a parameter type,
• at least one object, hereinafter referred to as a first connection object, identifying permissible combinations of object types that can form any of a parent/child relationship, a source/sink relationship, and other relationship,
• at least one object, hereinafter referred to as a second connection object, identifying permissible combinations of parameter types that can form any of a parent/child relationship, a source/sink relationship, and other relationship,
• the apparatus validating a potential relationship between objects by comparing the object types with which they are associated with permissible relationships identified by the first connection object, and
• the apparatus establishing a relationship between one or more parameters of one or more objects for which a potential relationship has been validated, the relationship between parameters being established by comparing the types of those parameters with the types identified by the second connection object.