Patent ID: 8185219

Claim:
A graphic display editor for use in a process plant to create a graphic display that represents an operation of one or more entities within the process plant, the graphic display editor comprising machine-readable instructions stored in a tangible, computer-readable medium, the instructions comprising: a library of graphic objects, wherein one of the graphic objects includes a multiplicity of different visual representations of a physical or a logical entity within the process plant; and a graphically based editor canvas routine that enables a user to define an executable graphic display by placing indications of one or more graphic objects from the library of graphic objects onto an edit canvas to define a manner in which visual representations of the one or more graphic objects will be displayed on a display device to a user during execution of the graphic display, wherein the graphically based editor canvas routine enables the user to select between the multiplicity of different visual representations for the one of the graphic objects when the one of the graphic objects is placed into the edit canvas.