Patent ID: 7783370

Claim:
A user interface method for facilitating configuration of a process plant, the method performed by a computer processor executing a set of instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, the method comprising: segmenting a display into at least a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion; displaying in the first portion a workspace to create a simulation algorithm for at least a portion of the process plant, at least a portion of the simulation algorithm being defined by depictions of connections among process objects in the workspace; displaying in the second portion a library of process objects capable of being added to the workspace, at least one of the process objects in the library having at least one associated graphical representation of a physical entity in the process plant corresponding to the process object, wherein the process object having the associated graphical representation of the physical entity includes simulation functionality that is based on behavior of the physical entity; and if a process object in the workspace is selected by a user, displaying in the third portion indications of parameters of the selected process object.