Reusable graphical elements with quickly editable features for use in user displays of plant monitoring systems

A display configuration system enables a graphical designer to create reusable template graphical display elements that can be easily modified by, for example, other graphical designers with less experience in graphical design programming, such that the modified graphical display elements can reflect one of various different possible functionalities of plant equipment or plant usages to which the modified graphical display element is to be tied during operation. The display configuration system includes a graphical design application that enables the creation of generic or library graphical elements that include basic graphical functionality associated with particular types of plant equipment or associated with particular types of graphic display functionality and includes a configuration form editor that enables a user to create quick configuration forms that define predetermined potential modifications to be made to the template graphical element when creating a usage from the template graphical element.