How to make my dwarves use dyed cloth

[Fleshbits]

I don't see any options in the manager to specify dyed cloth, or even the ability to search for dye cloth or stockpile it.

I see dye cloth tick down in my manager, so it is getting done, but I don't see anything at all in any cloth descriptions that would tell me the cloth is dyed, unless I am missing something.

How do I go about using the dyed cloth for spiffy clothes?

[AlP]

y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by AlP:

y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth

Or, if you want even greater degree of control (of course you do, you're playing DF XD)

Set up dyer output to an exclusive stockpile. Set up that stockpile to only accept items from the dyer (the icon tooltip for it doesn't mention workshops, but it works). Set up production in that dyer to only the type you want used down the chain. Separate workshops for separate production flows are essential to avoid issues, and easy to build.

Set up your tailor workshop to only accept items from the exclusive stockpile dyer output goes into.

Set up your work order to include Adjective "Dyed item", preferably "unused dyed cloth"

Incidentally, you can specify what type of cloth you want used for weaving/dyeing/tailoring, also through "Adj" selection. Best to set up conditions early in production, you don't want your cloth-making stockpile get filled with material type you don't use blocking work progress:
"Hair-wool items" I -think- it will use wool cloth. Either this, or "Yarn" designation (I think that's only for thread weaving use), haven't done animal husbandry yet
"Plant items" - duh
"Silk items" - double-duh

If you want even greater fidelity, you can select what specific Material to use, e.g. "Pig Tail" to only use thread/cloth made from pig tails.

This helps you keep stocks of hospital goods separate from regular (and fully automated) clothing replacement production.

Work orders are incredibly powerful (I also find figuring them out really fun, and not in DF's usual meaning of !FUN!). Take time to get acquainted with all they can do (including logic chains through workflow restrictions to specific stockpile/workshops), properly formulated work orders are "set up once and never look at again without issues with stocks or production flow" automation tools.

In between Type, Material, and Adjective you can do extremely complex things, so sit down and scroll through all those lists just to see what's possible.

[harlequin_corps]

I don't know.. I don't think there is.
ah.. yes there is. ok. I don't know how well it will work BUT..
In the work manager you can set up conditions that are checked. They give you some default ones but the green hash<=>/ blurby box in the upper right you can set a new one of whatever you want.
when you do that the condition has 3 white boxes with white lettering on the right side of the new condition. [Type] [Mat] [Adj]. In the Adj section you can set the designation for Dyed Items.
thing is though.. that's just the check for.. oh.. wait. No.. yeah it's the way it is.
so, you can set checks to initiate the work order by checking to see how many items are dyed. So if you want to use that Denim Dimple Dyed Blue material instead of the white Pig Tail cloth you can check to see if you HAVE denim available before initiating the workshop task from the work order.
but that WON"T enforce the use of the denim instead of the white pig tail cloth.
A method you would have to do to ensure that you ONLY used the dyed cloth is to dye all your cloth so you have NO undyed cloth available, then make the item as it is.
so to enforce the "Only Use Dyed Cloth" it's finicky.
So. to Dye cloth you need a Dyer Shop. It will produce dyed Cloth. Then a Clothier Shop takes the cloth and turns it into clothing. So.
Make A Dyer Shop and have it sent to a stockpile. Then have a Clothier Shop pull from that stockpile. Then in the clothier shop set a work order manually. It's the tab to the right of the Workers tab. in there you can set the conditions to start the task. So you do all the things to dye the cloth, the dyed cloth goes to it's own storage, then the Clothing shop pulls from THAT storage and makes the items. If all that doesn't work. Don't quote me. Because I don't do that level of micromanagement.

[harlequin_corps]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Set up your work order to include Adjective "Dyed item", preferably "unused dyed cloth"
..
If you want even greater fidelity, you can select what specific Material to use, e.g. "Pig Tail" to only use thread/cloth made from pig tails.
..
In between Type, Material, and Adjective you can do extremely complex things, so sit down and scroll through all those lists just to see what's possible.

I don't think that USES the items being checked, I think it just CHECKS to see if those items are available before initiating the work order. I don't think there is a way to force click in the workorder selection to only use dyed cloth in the work order. I think that's why it's in the standing orders section.

[AlP]

Really, all you need is y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth.

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by harlequin_corps:

Don't quote me. Because I don't do that level of micromanagement.

Oy, lads, found the elf-lover! ;)

Originally posted by harlequin_corps:

I don't think that USES the items being checked, I think it just CHECKS to see if those items are available before initiating the work order. I don't think there is a way to force click in the workorder selection to only use dyed cloth in the work order.

Which is why I also mentioned setting up dyer output stockpile for only that type of material, and linking the tailor to only accept materials from that.

Don't dismiss just how much you can accomplish by restricting production flow to specific buildings. Most of the "work cancelled" notifications can be avoided this way, never mind stockpiles getting blocked by unused material, wrong material being used in production, or a single workshop monopolizing specific crop/material while others are idle due to material shortage.

Also, as you mentioned, there is a difference between global work orders and workshop-specific work orders. To top it off, you can assign specific workshop to a single dorf. Important for weapon/armor making and cooking, probably not so much for a tailor because it ends with tons of worn-out x☼Clothing☼x items that you can't dump in garbage without your tailor going into tantrum spiral.

Optimization of your fortress' workflow is of highest craftsdwarfship.

Originally posted by AlP:

Really, all you need is y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth.

If you don't micro further, your hospital might end up all out of cloth just when you need it most...

[AlP]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Originally posted by AlP:

Really, all you need is y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth.

If you don't micro further, your hospital might end up all out of cloth just when you need it most...

Just forbid some cloth, or use only one-two types of cloth for crafting.

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by AlP:

Just forbid some cloth, or use only one-two types of cloth for crafting.

The latter being exactly what I described.

Also, "sir, this is Dwarf Fortress," unnecessary low-level micromanagement is what we do >.>

[AlP]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Originally posted by AlP:

Just forbid some cloth, or use only one-two types of cloth for crafting.

The latter being exactly what I described.

You described some convoluted work order setup, when there's a very simple selection of cloth/silk/yarn when you craft something.

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by AlP:

You described some convoluted work order setup, when there's a very simple selection of cloth/silk/yarn when you craft something.

I described a way of strict control over production chain, as a way to point out to people unfamiliar with it just how detailed it can get.

The menu selection will not allow you greater control over material type used, that requires the steps I discussed. Having control over material type is important not just in clothing chain, but other production schemes, which makes it a rather important tool to have in player skillset in my opinion. Definitely worth learning, and this is a good opportunity to.

Also, what's so "convoluted" about it? It's a pretty straightforward approach, whether you use workshop/stockpile limitations or work order conditionals.

[AlP]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Also, what's so "convoluted" about it? It's a pretty straightforward approach.

If it takes you 9 paragraphs to describe, it's convoluted.

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by AlP:

If it takes you 9 paragraphs to describe, it's convoluted.

Dyer->stockpile->Tailor

Or "set up appropriate material and adjective types for relevant work orders."

So convoluted.

Are you quite done? Your "solutions" came with its own problems down the line, so not sure why you're so obstinate on it being the only legitimate option.

Dismissing fidelity of work orders in the kind of a management game DF is seems pretty hilarious to me, but you do you, mate.

[AlP]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Originally posted by AlP:

If it takes you 9 paragraphs to describe, it's convoluted.

Dyer->stockpile->Tailor

Or "set up appropriate material and adjective types for relevant work orders."

So convoluted.

Or y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth. No further action needed.

[76561188078797539]

Originally posted by AlP:

Or y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth. No further action needed.

Until your hospital is out of thread and cloth.

Doesn't allow uniformity of material used, either, which may or may not be a consideration as well.

Doesn't teach general utility of work orders, either. Doesn't allow for discreet visual inspection of stockpile levels. And so on, so forth.

[AlP]

Originally posted by Sheepify:

Originally posted by AlP:

Or y->standing orders->use only dyed cloth. No further action needed.

Until your hospital is out of thread and cloth.

Doesn't allow uniformity of material used, either, which may or may not be a consideration as well.

Doesn't teach general utility of work orders, either. Doesn't allow for discreet visual inspection of stockpile levels. And so on, so forth.

Just make more cloth. Just don't use one type of cloth. No problems there.