Abstract: A method is disclosed for conditioning a tool for configuring a freely programmable control device for integrating intelligent field devices in a control or automation system having a flexibly expandable hardware structure, in which device-related information is visualized as objects of a branched tree structure. To improve user-friendliness, recording use of these objects by the user over the service life of the control or automation system allows for determining usage frequency. Objects with a high usage frequency which are subordinate to a hierarchically superordinate object are allocated to an object list assigned to the respective superordinate object. When using the hierarchically superordinate object, the object list containing the objects with a high usage frequency which are hierarchically subordinate to this superordinate object is displayed in the tool and offered to the user for selection.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for conditioning a tool for configuring a freely programmable control device for integrating intelligent field devices in a control or automation system having a flexibly expandable hardware structure, in which device-related information is visualized as objects of a branched tree structure. To improve user-friendliness, recording use of these objects by the user over the service life of the control or automation system allows for determining usage frequency. Objects with a high usage frequency which are subordinate to a hierarchically superordinate object are allocated to an object list assigned to the respective superordinate object. When using the hierarchically superordinate object, the object list containing the objects with a high usage frequency which are hierarchically subordinate to this superordinate object is displayed in the tool and offered to the user for selection.