DataMind Oda keeps each step's result within a size a chat can carry; when more arrives than fits, it shows the part that stays, counts what it left out in a short note, and for the largest results stores the full text in a file on your computer. This page explains those notes, what each kind of result keeps, where the rest goes and how long it stays.
Why a result gets shortened
A result is a step's answer to Oda: the output of a command, the paths or matches a search found, the text of a page Oda read. When a result is larger than the chat can carry, Oda shows the part that stays and adds a note counting the rest, so one long result cannot fill the whole chat.
Two kinds of limit are at work: a count of entries for a list of findings, such as search matches or sources, and a size in bytes for text. A limit set to zero keeps none of the result and counts it all as omitted.
A shortened result is not a failed result. When a note says text was truncated or omitted, it reports that a size limit was reached; it never means the source was incomplete, that data was lost, or that the step failed.
Refusals are not omissions. When a step refuses or skips something of its own, such as a file it may not read, it reports that in its own words; it is never counted in an omission note.
The notes that count what was left out
A note that counts entries in a list reads Omitted 3 items., the number of entries left out. A note that measures text reads Omitted 12 bytes., the size of the part left out.
When the exact count is not known, the note reads More lines were omitted. and carries no number. When nothing was left out, there is no note at all.
A note can join the count with the step's own advice on seeing more, for example: Omitted 25 items. Results capped at 100. Narrow the pattern, path, or include to see more. The count is Oda's shared wording; the advice comes from the step, and either half can be missing.
Where a number appears, it is what was actually left out. Cuts first adjust to whole characters, so the count can differ slightly from the limit that caused it.
What each kind of result keeps
The part that stays depends on the kind of result:
Kind of result
The shortened form keeps
A file search or a text search
The first results it found
A web search
The first sources it found
A fetched page
The start of the page; a very large page keeps its start and its end
A command's output
The end of the output; a very large output keeps its start and its end
Cuts fall between characters: when a cut would land inside a character, that character is left out whole, so a shortened result never ends on half a symbol.
A read works differently: nothing is cut or stored. A long file comes back in parts, and each part says where to continue; Read, write and edit files covers the read windows.
The web steps, with their result cards, are described in Web results in chat.
Where the full result goes
The largest results are not lost to a cut: Oda writes the full formatted text to a file on your computer and shows a short preview, the beginning and the end of the text, with this note: (Omitted N bytes. Full formatted result stored at: <locator>. Use read with offset/limit, or grep this path to search within it.)N is the bytes left out of the chat, and the locator names the file.
The stored file holds the full result as it was formatted; for a fetched page it also keeps the line naming the page and its HTTP status.
Only plain-text results are stored this way. A result that also carries something else, such as an image, is left as it is.
A result is stored only when it is larger than the size set for your installation; with no size set, results are never replaced by a stored copy.
A search saves its complete list the same way: a file search writes glob-results.txt and a text search writes grep-results.txt, named in the result's note (Full sorted result stored at: for a file search, Full grep result stored at: for a text search).
The note in the chat is the pointer to the file, and the full text stays out of the chat. Ask Oda to read the file or to search inside it when you need the rest; a long file is read in parts.
Where a stored file lives
A stored file is written on your computer, and it can be read only by your user account.
By default, stored files go in a private folder under your computer's temporary files area, created the first time it is needed. Your installation can use a different folder; the clearing of old files skips a configured folder that other users can change.
Inside it, each chat gets a folder of its own, so the results a chat stored sit together, apart from the folder the chat works in. A step given a stored path reads or searches that file where it is.
How long stored files stay
Files older than 30 days are removed when Oda starts. Your installation can choose a different period or turn the clearing off.
The clearing happens at start-up only: if Oda stays open for a long time, old files are cleared at its next start.
Files are kept on purpose: a retried, resumed or forked chat still points at the same file and can read a result it stored earlier, until that file ages out. Once a file has been cleared, its note has nothing behind it.
Nothing in Oda lists, searches, replaces or deletes stored files on request; the note in the chat is the only pointer to one.
If a result cannot be stored
Storing is best effort:
If Oda cannot write the file, the result stays in the chat as it is; a failed save never turns a good result into a lost one or fails the step that produced it. A search result then says the complete result could not be saved and suggests a narrower search.
The same holds when the size set for your installation is so small that no useful note fits: the result stays as it was, and a stored copy can remain without a pointer to it.
Questions, answered
Why does Oda cut long results instead of showing everything?
A chat carries a limited amount of text, so Oda keeps each step's result within a size it can carry. The part that did not fit is counted in a note, and where the full text can be kept, Oda stores it in a file and names it in the note. Nothing is silently lost, and a shortened result is not a failed one.
Why do some notes count items and others count bytes?
Items are counted one by one when the result is a list of findings, such as search matches or sources. Text is measured in bytes, so a cut text reports the size of the part left out. When the exact number is not known, the note says More lines were omitted. without a count.
Why is only the end of my command's output shown?
That is how command results are kept: the end of the output stays, and a very large output keeps its start and its end as well. What was left out is counted in the note, and when the full output was saved, its note names the file. Shell commands lists the notes a command result carries.
What does "Results capped at 100" mean?
It is part of the step's own wording in the note: the step keeps 100 entries at most, so everything beyond that was left out and counted in the same note. The advice after it, such as narrowing the pattern, path or file filter, says how to get a smaller, complete result back.
Is the omitted count exact?
Where a number appears, it counts what was actually left out. Cuts are adjusted to whole characters first, so the number can differ slightly from the limit that caused the cut, and a cut never splits a character in half.
Are skipped files counted as omissions?
No. Omission notes count what a size limit left out of a result; they never report refusals or problems. When a step refuses or skips something of its own, such as a file it may not read, it says so in its own words.
Where does Oda keep the stored file?
In a private folder on your computer. By default it sits under your computer's temporary files area and is created the first time it is needed; your installation can use a different folder. Inside it, each chat has a folder of its own, and the files can be read only by your user account.
How do I read the full result?
Ask Oda to read the file named in the note, or to search inside it. A long file is read in parts; Read, write and edit files covers how reads work.
How long does Oda keep a stored file?
Files older than 30 days are removed when Oda starts; your installation can choose a different period or turn the clearing off. The clearing happens at start-up only, and nothing in Oda deletes a file on request. Until a file ages out, a resumed or forked chat can still read it.
Why did a huge result stay in the chat instead of being stored?
Storing is best effort, and two cases leave the result as it was: Oda could not write the file, or no note small enough for the size set could be made. In both cases the result stays in the chat and the step does not fail.
Can I turn stored results off, or choose where they go?
Not from a chat. The folder and the size at which results are stored are set for your installation; with no size set, Oda never replaces a result with a stored copy. Ask your DataMind OS administrator to change these.
Is a long file read shortened like other results?
No. A read is not cut and stored: a long file comes back in parts, and each part says where to continue from. Read, write and edit files covers the read windows and the note that ends each part.