diff --git a/Utility functions/Local settings utilities/@MyInstrumentDescriptor/MyInstrumentDescriptor.m b/Utility functions/Local settings utilities/@MyInstrumentDescriptor/MyInstrumentDescriptor.m
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12e31e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Utility functions/Local settings utilities/@MyInstrumentDescriptor/MyInstrumentDescriptor.m	
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+% Class for storing information about local instruments
+
+classdef MyInstrumentDescriptor
+    properties (Access = public)
+        name            = ''        % Identifier that is a MATLAB variable name
+        title           = ''        % Title displayed in menus
+        control_class   = ''        % Instrument control class
+        gui             = ''        % Gui
+        enabled         = true     
+        StartupOpts     = struct()  % Options passed to the class constructor on startup
+        LoggerOpts      = struct()  % Options for starting a logger with this instrument
+    end
+    
+    methods (Access = public)
+        function this = MyInstrumentDescriptor(varargin)
+            P = MyClassParser(this);
+            processInputs(P, this, varargin{:});
+        end
+     end
+     
+     methods 
+         function this = set.name(this, val)
+             assert(isvarname(val), '''name'' must be valid variable name')
+             this.name = val;
+         end
+         
+         % If title is not specified, return name
+         function val = get.title(this)
+             if isempty(this.title)
+                 val = this.name;
+             else
+                 val = this.title;
+             end
+         end
+     end
+end
+
diff --git a/Utility functions/Local settings utilities/convertInstrumentListToDescriptor.m b/Utility functions/Local settings utilities/convertInstrumentListToDescriptor.m
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b605475
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Utility functions/Local settings utilities/convertInstrumentListToDescriptor.m	
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+% Convert structure-based instrument list to a descriptor-based one
+
+function NewInstrList = convertInstrumentListToDescriptor(OldInstrList)
+    NewInstrList = MyInstrumentDescriptor.empty();
+    
+    names = fieldnames(OldInstrList);
+    for i = 1:length(names)
+        EntrStruct = OldInstrList.(names{i});
+        
+        NewInstrList(i).name = names{i};
+        
+        try
+            NewInstrList(i).control_class = EntrStruct.control_class;
+        catch ME
+            warning(ME.message)
+        end
+        
+        try
+            NewInstrList(i).gui = EntrStruct.gui;
+        catch ME
+            warning(ME.message)
+        end
+        
+        try
+            NewInstrList(i).title = EntrStruct.menu_title;
+        catch ME
+            warning(ME.message)
+        end
+        
+        try
+            if ~isempty(EntrStruct.interface)
+                NewInstrList(i).StartupOpts.interface = EntrStruct.interface;
+            end
+        catch ME
+            warning(ME.message)
+        end
+        
+        try
+            if ~isempty(EntrStruct.address)
+                NewInstrList(i).StartupOpts.address = EntrStruct.address;
+            end
+        catch ME
+            warning(ME.message)
+        end
+        
+        try
+            if ~isempty(EntrStruct.StartupOpts)
+                opt_names = fieldnames(EntrStruct.StartupOpts);
+                for j=1:lengh(opt_names)
+                    NewInstrList(i).StartupOpts.(opt_names{j}) = ...
+                        EntrStruct.StartupOpts.(opt_names{j});
+                end
+            end
+        catch
+        end
+    end
+end
+