State machine function block with user-definable actions on a transition between states

A tangible medium storing machine readable instructions comprising:

• first code to provide a graphical user interface via a display device for configuring transitions among state machine states of a state machine, the graphical user interface indicating a first plurality of cells arranged in a matrix having a first dimension and a second dimension, wherein positions along the first dimension indicate the state machine states and transition action identifiers associated therewith, and positions along the second dimension correspond to state machine inputs, such that the first plurality of cells define input/state pairs and transition actions thereof based on the positions of the first plurality of cells relative to the first and second dimensions;
• second code to receive state transition data associated with a cell of the first plurality of cells via the graphical user interface, the state transition data identifying a next state to which the state machine transitions according to the input/state pair defined by the cell;
• third code to receive transition action data via the graphical user interface, the transition action data identifying at least one transition action to be performed according to the state transition data;
• and
• fourth code to store the state transition data and the transition action data on a computer readable medium associated with a function block implementing the state machine in a process plant such that the state machine transitions to the next state when a condition in the process plant corresponds to the input/state pair associated with the cell.