Patent ID: 7653521

Claim:
A plurality of programming devices for designing or configuring a process control system of actuators, sensors, programmable controllers, and operating and observation stations for controlling a plant, each programming device comprising a software tool configured to: save references on the programming device, the references indicating project design blocks necessary for designing the process control system; copy the necessary design blocks to the programming device from a central library of an engineering system via a bus system based on the references; transfer the copied design blocks to the programming device; and store the transferred design blocks on the programming device; wherein the project design blocks comprise software objects representing operating and observation systems, input and output modules, the actuators, the sensors, and software blocks for creating control programs for the programmable controllers; wherein a given design block is part of at least two different part projects executed on respective different ones of the programming devices, and a copy of the given design block is transferred to each of the respective programming devices; and wherein the two part-projects are functionally linked for operational data transfer therebetween such that, during operation of the process control system for controlling a plant, data of a programmable controller designed or configured by a first of the part projects is exported to an operating and observation station designed or configured by a second of the part projects.