Patent ID: 8788071

Claim:
An object entity for use in configuring or viewing the operation of a process plant having multiple field devices connected to a process controller and operable to perform physical control and measurement functions within the process plant, the object entity comprising: a computer readable memory; a programming object stored on the computer readable memory, the programming object representing a process entity within the process plant and including: a first memory storage which, when executed on a processor, stores indications of one or more functions to be performed by the process entity during operation of the process plant; and a second memory storage which, when executed on a processor: stores a global security parameter indicating whether access to the programming object by a viewing or configuration application is to be limited, and stores a plurality of sub-element security parameters corresponding to a plurality of sub-element objects included in the programming object, wherein: each sub-element security parameter stored in the programming object representing the process entity indicates whether access to a respective sub-element object of the programming object is to be limited, and a first sub-element security parameter stored in the programming object representing the process entity and corresponding to the first sub-element object and a second sub-element security parameter stored in the programming object representing the process entity and corresponding to the second sub-element object are each individually modifiable.