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[Fleeting Frames]

After some searches, I have a small interface tweak suggestion:

For items, there is a somewhat nice look menu:

Spoiler: "Image of tower-cap logs hovered with loo(k) menu" (click to show/hide)

On the image is loo(k) cursor positioned over tower-cap logs. In the middle menu, there are options for View, Follow, forbid, dump and melt.

Granted, there seems to be many other things you can do with those logs, even if melt is dark grey....but by pressing + or - once, it seems there is nothing doable with the parsnip plants at all?

Spoiler: "image of Parsnip plants with look menu" (click to show/hide)

There is room for two rows of buttons there. How about adding ones that pertain to inspected thing?

d: designate b: build i: zone
w: burrow

With two or three small tweaks:

1) Have the designation, build, zone or burrow take the 1x1 area as input square/area.

2) Like melting tower-cap logs, have the "impossible" options visually greyed out - with 3) below, this would mostly affect constructions into open space where buildings would be Blocked.

3) [With few enough options for designations,] Have the designation submenu be directly visible for what's possible. In this case:

h: Channel d: Down Stair p: Gather Plants
o: Set Traffic Area b: build i: zone w: burrow

Note here that conflicts are not possible, as the d-b-menu gives merely same options as individual item inspection, thus being inappropriate for single item/floor, while the d-i up/downstairs is only possible on walls - and you cannot designate zones inside walls.

What are the benefits?

1. Makes it a lot faster to make 1x1 zones(most are useful), burrow lookouts for military and hauling controls, laying out single-square passes/buildings where necessary(entrances, waterways, wall+ramps for treetop dwarves, short diagonal designations)

2. Is instructive in what commands do and what things are without needing to wiki-dive for "d-d enter right right down down enter d-d enter enter d-d enter enter wtf how do I dig" or "is this livestock food, or edible shrub?" or "can I build this here?" or "what can be done with this sand floor my dwarves are living on".....

PS: Yes, they are all available for wiki, but I downloaded dwarf fortress to make fortress for dwarves, not spending 15 minutes each on basic questions and have winter arrive by the time I get to the "sand floor" one :p

[Adam Mantine]

On a related note, it would also be nice to have keys to switch at will from Loo(k) to View I(t)ems In Buildings to (v)iew Uniys to (q)uery Room/Building without having to close out the menu.