Scheduled task files and versions

DataMind Oda keeps each scheduled task in a folder of files on your computer. This page shows where that folder is, what happens when you edit the files by hand, and how to go back to a saved version. To create and run tasks, see Schedule recurring tasks; to follow their runs, see Scheduled runs and history.

Where a task's files live

Each task has a folder of its own inside the folder where Oda keeps scheduled tasks; this page calls it the tasks folder. The folder is named after the task: the words of its name, plus six random hex digits, such as daily-sales-report-a1b2c3. A name with no ASCII words gets a folder named task- plus the six digits.

<tasks folder>/
  <task-id>/
    task.json      the task's settings
    prompt.md      the prompt each run uses
    runs.json      the run history
    state.json     the slots the task has handled
    history/       the saved versions of the task
    workspace/     where a run works when the task saves to its own folder

A run works in workspace/ when the task's Folder is The task's own folder, so it cannot change the task's own files.

To open a task's folder, choose Open task folder on the task page. Some computers do not allow the app to open folders; Oda then answers This computer cannot open folders from the app.

What hand edits do

You can edit task.json and prompt.md by hand. An edit takes effect at once and saves a new version of the task.

Two changes cannot be made by hand: whether the task runs with Full access, and its run folder. An edit that changes either is refused, and the task does not run until the file is changed back or the task is saved on its page:

Full access and the run folder can only be changed on the task page, so the task does not run until task.json is changed back or the task is saved there.

An edit that leaves a file missing or invalid shows a problem on the task and stops it from running until the file is fixed.

Saved versions and restoring

• Every change to a task saves a version, whether it came from the task page, a chat, a hand edit, or a restore.
• On the task page you can look through a task's saved versions and restore one. A restore is saved as its own version.
• A version that is gone reads That saved version no longer exists.; a version whose stored content no longer matches what was saved reads That saved version is damaged and cannot be used. In both cases, pick another version from the list.

Delete a task

Deleting removes a task with its run history and saved settings. Pausing is not deleting: a paused task stays, and Resume starts the schedule again. When you delete a task:

• Oda stops any run that is going.
• The chats of its runs, and every chat that worked in the task's own folder, are archived and stay available.
• The task's run folder stops being one of Oda's workspaces.
• If any of these steps fails, the task is still deleted.

If you remove a task's folder on the computer yourself, Oda counts the task as deleted and handles its runs and chats the same way.

If Oda cannot read the tasks folder, every task stays as it was; a failed read is never treated as an empty folder.

Questions, answered

Where does a scheduled task keep its files?

Each task has a folder of its own inside the tasks folder on your computer, named after the task. It holds task.json (the settings), prompt.md (the prompt), runs.json (the run history), state.json (the slots already handled), history/ (the saved versions) and workspace/ (where runs work when the task saves to its own folder). Choose Open task folder on the task page to see it.

Can I edit a task's files by hand?

Yes. Edits to task.json and prompt.md take effect at once and save a new version. Two changes are refused: Full access and the run folder; make those changes on the task page instead.

Why does my task not run after I edited its files?

One of two things. An edit that changes Full access or the run folder is refused, and the task does not run until the file is changed back or the task is saved on its page. An edit that leaves a file missing or invalid also stops the task from running until the file is fixed.

How do I go back to an earlier saved version?

Look through the task's saved versions on the task page and restore one. Every change saves a version, and a restore is saved as its own version. If a version is gone, it reads That saved version no longer exists.; if its stored content no longer matches, it reads That saved version is damaged and cannot be used. Pick another version from the list.

What happens to the chats of a deleted task?

They are archived and stay available, along with every chat that worked in the task's own folder. Only the task itself goes, with its run history and saved settings.

I removed a task's folder on the computer. Is the task gone?

Yes. A task whose folder is removed counts as deleted: any run stops, its chats are archived, and its run folder is no longer one of Oda's workspaces.

What happens if Oda cannot read the tasks folder?

Every task stays as it was. Oda never treats a failed read as an empty folder, so nothing is marked as deleted.

What is the workspace folder inside a task's folder?

It is where a run works when the task's Folder is The task's own folder, so the run cannot change the task's own files. When you chose a folder for the task, runs work in that folder instead.

Why can the app not open the task's folder?

Some computers do not allow the app to open folders. Open task folder then answers This computer cannot open folders from the app. Open the tasks folder yourself in your file manager instead.