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0000771Dwarf FortressDwarf Mode -- Itemspublic2010-04-07 22:032014-06-02 18:47
anomaly 
 
normalminoralways
newopen 
 
 
0000771: Cloth/Thread partially used by medical dwarfs can't be dyed/woven & they prefer new supplies over used ones
nothing to really add to the summary.
1. import or embark with cloth
2. obtain dyes, dyer, and dyer's shop
3. observe as all attempts to dye imported cloth fail while your dyer has no problem dyeing homemade cloth.
No tags attached.
related to 0004932resolved Toady One Dwarves try to equip armor in order of its production instead of in order specified by uniform 
related to 0004406resolved Toady One Hospital zone does not respect cloth maximums 
related to 0006477new  dwarves prefer to dye unusable thread 
parent of 0000287new  Medical Dwarfs prefer supplies from non-hospital stockpiles 
parent of 0003147new  Heathcare dwarves return leftover cloth/thread to outside stockpile instead of hospital supplies 
has duplicate 0005307resolved Dwarfu Workshops are regarding all thread as "used", even when it's in a stockpile right next to the workshop 
has duplicate 0005842resolved Dwarfu Clothier cancels job, but cloth is available 
Not all the children of this issue are yet resolved or closed.
Issue History
2010-04-07 22:03anomalyNew Issue
2010-04-07 22:16Rafal99Note Added: 0001946
2010-04-07 22:19anomalyNote Added: 0001947
2010-08-26 23:28DwarfuNote Added: 0012109
2010-08-31 06:57QuietustNote Added: 0012282
2010-08-31 20:35kwielandNote Added: 0012296
2010-08-31 21:35QuietustNote Added: 0012298
2010-09-03 11:20DwarfuSummaryImported cloth cannot be dyed => Cloth/Thread partially used by medical dwarfs can't be dyed/woven & they prefer new supplies over used ones
2010-09-03 11:20DwarfuRelationship addedparent of 0000287
2010-09-03 11:21DwarfuRelationship addedparent of 0003147
2010-09-04 09:38SfonIssue Monitored: Sfon
2010-09-04 18:31kwielandNote Added: 0012415
2011-06-11 07:25jwest23Issue Monitored: jwest23
2012-02-19 11:58DwarfuRelationship addedhas duplicate 0005307
2012-03-24 06:36JasonMelNote Added: 0021692
2012-03-24 07:11JasonMelNote Edited: 0021692bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0021692#r8092
2012-03-24 07:14JasonMelIssue Monitored: JasonMel
2012-03-24 07:40FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0004932
2012-03-27 04:04StebIssue Monitored: Steb
2012-04-26 20:56DwarfuRelationship addedhas duplicate 0005842
2012-09-30 23:40DwarfuIssue Monitored: jaddle
2014-01-27 13:48FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0004406
2014-06-02 18:47FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0006477

Notes
(0001946)
Rafal99   
2010-04-07 22:16   
Most of the cloth brought by traders is already dyed usually, check if it is not the case.
(0001947)
anomaly   
2010-04-07 22:19   
embarked cloth. not dyed. check and check.
(0012109)
Dwarfu   
2010-08-26 23:28   
You sure your embark test included someone with the dyer skill enabled?

I embarked with a dyer, 2 dimple dye and cloth (1 each of pig tail fiber cloth and 1 cave spider silk cloth).

The dyer dyed both pieces of cloth.

I also have some rope reed fiber cloth that has been dyed and as I don't grow rope reed, this cloth is imported.

However, I have 2 (rope reed fiber cloth) - obviously imported - that will NOT be used to dye if all other cloth is forbidden. It is currently sitting in a storage bin in a cloth stockpile (not in the hospital).

I removed my hospital zone and one of the 2 foreign cloth pieces was dyed. I'm guessing the bolts of cloth that can't be dyed have been partially used by the hospital since material lengths for cloth and thread have been put in.

There needs to be some indication for these pieces (such as how much is remaining) to properly identify them.
(0012282)
Quietust   
2010-08-31 06:57   
The same thing seems to happen with thread, almost certainly due to 0000287 as I have had multiple injured dwarves.
(0012296)
kwieland   
2010-08-31 20:35   
I wondered about this, seeing multiple items of clothing that are not dyed, yet the dyer claiming he doesn't have anything to dye. This explains that. Do you know if they will use the "remaining" thread to form clothe or the remaining clothe for clothing/etc?
(0012298)
Quietust   
2010-08-31 21:35   
I've tried, and they will not. The "weave cloth" job cancelled due to insufficient dyed thread, and out of the 10 or so threads I had in the stockpile, at least half were dyed.
(0012415)
kwieland   
2010-09-04 18:31   
To the atom smasher, then!
(0021692)
JasonMel   
2012-03-24 06:36   
(edited on: 2012-03-24 07:11)
Since there is so far no complete description of this issue, I'll attempt one here.

1) When doctors (by which I mean dwarves with suturing or bandaging labor enabled) begin a suture or bandage job, they correctly go to hospital containers for thread or cloth, respectively.

2) If the hospital is fully stocked at the time, then as soon as this thread/cloth is removed from a hospital container for medical use, a shortfall in hospital supplies is perceived, creating a hauling job to fill it with thread/cloth from a stockpile.

3) When the medical job is done, the doctor drops the thread/cloth, leaving it lying around the hospital, much the way a pond-filler would leave an empty bucket at the edge of the pond.

4) The thread/cloth item lying un-stockpiled in the hospital creates a hauling job to move the partially-used item to an appropriate stockpile (not back to the hospital supply container). Haulers may not be able to move it directly back to the hospital container, but even if they could, that vacancy has likely already been filled from a stockpile in step 2).

5) When a dwarf needs thread or cloth for some non-medical job, be it weaving, dying, clothesmaking, or whatever, they will refuse to use any partially-used item that has been through the previous steps. This is understandable, since anything less than a fully-complete item of thread/cloth may be too little for the job in question. In theory, only a small fraction of the original spool or bolt may remain.

6) I don't know whether partially-used thread sitting in a non-hospital stockpile after going through these steps would ever be taken by a hauler in step 2) to be re-introduced into a hospital container. A confirmation of this would be interesting.

The issue is complex and has several moving parts, so any simple summary will be misleading. I think it's safe to say that the issue has nothing to do with dyed/undyed or imported/homemade status. I do think, though, that the second part of the current summary, that doctors "prefer new supplies over used ones," is a mischaracterization, since they simply take what's available in the hospital. I think the fairest one-line summary that gives the full scope of the problem would be something like, "Hospital usage of thread/cloth pollutes stockpiles with useless thread/cloth."

Finally, would be good to confirm that this issue still exists in the current version, since 34.02 made changes to thread/cloth. [Edit: Scratch that. I suppose the listed dupe, 0005307, is confirmation. Duh.]

(For my discussion of one possible three-pronged solution of this issue (assuming it still exists), see http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=90548.0 [^] in the Suggestions forum.)