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[CynicalRyan]

Problem

If I am transporting goods to the trade depot, I have to use F9 to back out of the screen to choose my trade goods.

If I am actually trading, I have to use space to get out of the trading menu.

If I am in the job manager menu, I have to use space to get out of it. If I am creating a new job, I have to use F9 to get out of the menu.

Synopsis

It is not obvious which key is used to get out of a menu. The most obvious one is the space bar, except when it is not.

Proposed Solution
Use the Eecape key to back out of any and all menus and screens. It's the established convention in the Windows and GNOME/KDE world (can't speak about Mac OS, but most PCs are running Windows of some sort or another anyway) as the measure to back out of a choice or many.

Space and F9 can co-exist with the escape key in this situation, to maintain backwards compatibility.

The only problem is, that DF goes into the game menu any time you press the Esc-key. However, that can be solved by making the game menu accessible only from the game screen when no other screen or menu is open.

Maybe make Esc a way to return to the normal game screen from any menu (cancel the whole train of thought I might have had, in other words).

Benefit
One key to get out of anything, making the game more usable and comply a bit more with the expectations a user has.

[AncientEnemy]

I support this (although personally I'd prefer it always to be the spacebar).

I also wish similar consistency would be applied to the scrolling/directional keys, of which there are something like 7 different sets, depending on what menu you're in. okay now i'm scrolling with the arrows. okay now pgup pgdn. okay now its +/-, okay now it's umhk, okay now it's waxd aughhhhhhhhhh

[CynicalRyan]

I support this (although personally I'd prefer it always to be the spacebar).

But that breaks a really useful feature: The search for items if you create a job. Sure, you could create a special dialog to handle that, but then again you need a way to back out of *that*.

Besides, the Esc-key makes it easier for the newby.

I also wish similar consistency would be applied to the scrolling/directional keys, of which there are something like 7 different sets, depending on what menu you're in. okay now i'm scrolling with the arrows. okay now pgup pgdn. okay now its +/-, okay now it's umhk, okay now it's waxd aughhhhhhhhhh

I feel your pain. But baby steps, and small, iterative changes are the best bet, I guess, for the moment. I have no idea how the game is coupled to the UI, I so I suspect it's coupled rather tightly, so that you have to be careful with changes, lest you break something unexpected ("Waddaya mean my dwarves could spontaneously combust when I do this?").

[Pilsu]

F10 could open the menu, to avoid people accidentally skipping trade agreements while trying to save the game

[CynicalRyan]

F10 could open the menu, to avoid people accidentally skipping trade agreements while trying to save the game.

I had the idea myself, but wasn't sure. I like to keep things simple and solve one problem at a time, but your idea solves both problems.

[Sowelu]

Full-screen popups (IE trade) that can occur spontaneously while unpaused should have a UNIQUE way of closing.  I'd like enter, for those.

Otherwise I approve!

[zchris13]

Full-screen popups (IE trade) that can occur spontaneously while unpaused should have a UNIQUE way of closing.  I'd like enter, for those.

Otherwise I approve!

I have done that way too many times.

[Craftling]

Brilliant.
"Nuff said"