Browser tools

Browser tools let DataMind Oda open and work web pages itself: browsing, clicking, filling in forms and reading what is on the page. They stay off until you turn on Browser use, and the first turn-on asks you to accept its risks.

Turn on Browser use

Browser use is one of Oda's advanced features: the powerful features that stay off until you turn one on and accept its risks. Open Settings > Developer > Advanced features, and:

Turn on the Browser use switch. Before the first turn-on, a dialog asks you to accept the feature's risks: tick I understand these risks and take responsibility, then choose Turn on.
The change applies to new chats: a chat that is already open keeps the tools it started with.

Worth knowing:

The acceptance is once for your signed-in account: turning the feature off never asks, and turning it back on later asks nothing.
The feature needs Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge installed. When neither is found, the row shows Install Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge to use this feature.
Your company can hold the switch on or off and lock it. A locked row reads Managed by your organization.
If the feature cannot start, DataMind Oda turns it back off; the message is in the list below.

What Oda can do in its browser

While a chat has a browser, Oda can:

open pages and work with browser tabs;
click and fill in forms;
read what is on a page;
take screenshots.

Oda keeps the chat's browser across that chat's turns, so work on a page continues where it left off. This is separate from the browser you and Oda share in a chat's side panel, which is covered in Chat with Oda. For Oda working your whole desktop instead, see Computer use.

Its own window, or a browser that is already open

Oda's own window. By default Oda starts its own Chrome or Edge window. It opens Chrome when it is installed, and Edge otherwise. The window has a clean profile: none of your tabs, sign-ins or cookies.
A browser that is already open. In some setups Oda connects to a browser that is already open on the computer instead. It then works in that browser, with its current tabs and sign-ins, so it can reach everything that browser is signed in to.

One chat at a time

A browser serves one chat at a time.

While a chat holds a browser, other chats cannot use it: their calls are refused, and a browser is never handed to another chat.
A browser Oda started belongs to the chat that opened it. Reopening or forking a chat starts a fresh browser: earlier pages and sign-ins do not carry over.
If the already-open browser is busy when a new chat starts, that chat carries on without it and does not try again later.
When Oda disconnects from it, the browser and its pages stay open.

Screenshots

Screenshots Oda takes arrive in the chat as images, so they are useful when your model can read images.

Limits and what to expect

Oda sets the browser up when a chat starts. If the browser cannot start, the chat does not start, and Oda does not retry on its own.
Stopping a step cancels what has not happened yet; pages, clicks and typing the browser already received cannot be undone.
You can turn the switch off at any time, and turning it off never asks for confirmation.

Warning

Pages Oda visits can carry hidden instructions aimed at it. Turn Browser use on only when you need it, and watch what Oda does.

Messages you may see

Message	What it means	What to do
`Install Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge to use this feature.`	The feature needs Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, and neither is installed on this computer.	Install Chrome or Edge, then turn the switch on again.
`The feature could not start, so it was turned back off. Check its requirements and try again.`	The turn-on could not start the browser, so it was rolled back and the switch is off again.	Check that Chrome or Edge is installed, then turn the switch on again; if it repeats, ask your administrator.

Questions, answered

Which browsers can Oda use?

Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge; the feature needs one of them installed. Oda opens Chrome when it is installed, and Edge otherwise.

Does Oda use my browser and my sign-ins?

Not by default. Oda opens its own window with a clean profile that has none of your tabs or sign-ins. In setups that connect Oda to a browser that is already open, Oda works with that browser's tabs and sign-ins instead.

Can two chats use Oda's browser at the same time?

No. A browser serves one chat at a time, and calls from other chats are refused while a chat holds it. When a chat is done with an already-open browser, the next chat can connect.

What happens to the browser when I reopen or fork a chat?

Nothing carries over. Reopening or forking a chat starts a fresh browser; the pages and sign-ins from before are gone.

What happens if the browser cannot start?

Oda sets the browser up when a chat starts. If it cannot start, the chat does not start and Oda does not retry; if an already-open browser is busy, that chat carries on without it and does not try again later.

Do screenshots from Oda's own browser appear in my chat?

Yes. They arrive as images in the chat, so they work when your model can read images.

Why is Browser use not available on this computer?

The feature needs Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. When neither is installed, the row shows Install Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge to use this feature. and does not turn on.

Where does the browser window open?

On the computer running DataMind Oda. In the desktop app, that is this computer.

Is this the same as the browser in the side panel?

No. The side panel has its own browser that you and Oda share while you look at a chat; Chat with Oda describes it. Browser use is the browser Oda opens and drives itself.