# Impossible to examine items not in inventory?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350>\
**Category:** The Garage\
**Created:** [November 26, 2021, 1:01pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350 "2021-11-26T13:01:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![4R53N1C](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/4r53n1c/32/6819_2.png) [@4R53N1C](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/4R53N1C)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 1:01pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/1 "2021-11-26T13:01:13Z")

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Something is wrong with the new examine system. It forces you into pick up mode so you can’t examine anything before you pick it up. This is on the current experimental build as of writing

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**Author:** ![Valase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valase/32/6972_2.png) [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/2 "2021-11-26T13:13:39Z")

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> [@4R53N1C](#):
>
> This is on the current experimental build as of writing

Could you specify which `current experimental build`? There’s sometimes a noticable difference between which one’s considered the “last” or “current” one on the [download page](https://cataclysmdda.org/experimental/), the [GitHub releases](https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/releases) and the one from the third party launcher.  
You can find the version number you’re playing shown in the main menu on game start.

Edit:  
I can not replicate this bug in experimental build 2021-11-26-1005 (version 04d1bce) - which is the current one as of this writing on GitHub and the game’s website: Pressing [`e`]xamine on a random item in both the [`g`] pickup menu and the [`/`] advanced inventory manager opens the item description just fine.

Did you compile it from the source directly?

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**Author:** ![4R53N1C](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/4r53n1c/32/6819_2.png) [@4R53N1C](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/4R53N1C)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/3 "2021-11-26T13:44:32Z")

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cdda-windows-tiles-x64-msvc-2021-11-26-1005

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**Author:** ![Valase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valase/32/6972_2.png) [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/4 "2021-11-26T14:10:50Z")

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As written above: I can not replicate this bug in the version you’ve mentioned.

What exaclty happens when you try to [`e`]xamine the item in the pickup menu?  
Have you maybe rebound the key?  
Or does the game crash or throw an error?

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**Author:** ![Hoovytaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Hoovytaurus](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Hoovytaurus)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 2:04pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/5 "2021-11-28T14:04:10Z")

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e to examine in pickup menu ought to work but the fun fact is you can’t examine things you can’t pick up because you can’t hover over them to begin with

pretty annoying

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**Author:** ![Valase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valase/32/6972_2.png) [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/6 "2021-11-28T14:07:03Z")

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> [@Hoovytaurus](#):
>
> […] fun fact is you can’t examine things you can’t pick up […]

This is still possible over the advanced inventory manager (hence I’ve listed both in my answer).

* * *

I still require more information to understand if this is bugged or not @4R53N1C.

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**Author:** ![4R53N1C](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/4r53n1c/32/6819_2.png) [@4R53N1C](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/4R53N1C)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/7 "2021-12-02T22:20:59Z")

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It used to be possible in older versions. If this change was on purpose, it was a dumb change.

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**Author:** ![Valase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valase/32/6972_2.png) [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/8 "2021-12-02T22:55:49Z")

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> [@4R53N1C](#):
>
> It used to be possible in older versions.

And it still is. → Pressing [`e`]xamine on a random item in both the [`g`] pickup menu and the [`/`] advanced inventory manager opens the item description just fine.

> [@4R53N1C](#):
>
> If this change was on purpose, it was a dumb change.

See answer in other topic why “picking up items with the examine menu got removed”:

> [@Can't examine and pick up items with the 'e' key, which may take less keystrokes](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cant-examine-and-pick-up-items-with-the-e-key-which-may-take-less-keystrokes/27276/2):
>
> Picking up items through the examine menu caused numerous bugs in the past, that’s why it was removed.

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**Author:** ![4R53N1C](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/4r53n1c/32/6819_2.png) [@4R53N1C](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/4R53N1C)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 1:57am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/9 "2021-12-03T01:57:37Z")

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So they just changed the way things worked entirely? Why?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Valase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/valase/32/6972_2.png) [@Valase](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Valase)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 2:14am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/10 "2021-12-03T02:14:29Z")

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> [@4R53N1C](#):
>
> Why?

Because: `Picking up items through the examine menu caused numerous bugs in the past, that’s why it was removed.`

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**Author:** ![Bio](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/bio/32/6690_2.png) [@Bio](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Bio)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2021, 5:08am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/impossible-to-examine-items-not-in-inventory/27350/11 "2021-12-05T05:08:05Z")

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what do you mean by examine? do you mean just look at the items description?