A programmable controller and method of operating a programmable controller are provided. In one illustrative embodiment, the programmable controller may have non-volatile memory and random-access memory (RAM), which, in some cases, may be implemented in a single microcontroller. The illustrative programmable controller may include a function block engine resident in the non-volatile memory, a block execution list being resident in the non-volatile memory, and a parameter and/or variable storage space being resident in RAM. The function block engine may execute a program according to a list of function blocks identified in the block execution list. In some cases, the program can be executed from the non-volatile memory, which in some cases may be FLASH memory. Additionally, in some cases, the non-volatile memory may include a firmware portion and a user programmable portion. The block execution list may be stored in the user programmable portion, allowing field programmability and configuration of the function blocks.