Developer settings

Settings > Developer is the page that reveals DataMind Oda's diagnostic views and its developer-only settings pages. It holds the Developer tools switch and, in the desktop app and the VS Code extension, the list of advanced features. To open Settings and find your way around the panel, see Settings overview.

Find the Developer page

Choose Settings at the foot of the sidebar, or press Ctrl , (⌘ , on macOS).
Choose Developer in the Advanced group. Typing diagnostics in Search settings also finds it.

The Developer tools switch sits in a Diagnostics group.

Turn Developer tools on or off

Open Settings > Developer.
Flip Developer tools in the Diagnostics group.

The change saves as soon as you make it; there is no Save button. Worth knowing:

The switch is off when you first meet it: a fresh installation keeps the developer surfaces hidden until you turn it on.
With it on, DataMind Oda's diagnostic views and developer-only settings pages become available; turning it off hides them again.
A surface appears once Oda has confirmed the change; if the change cannot be saved, the switch returns to its saved value and Oda shows Could not save. Try again.

What the page shows in each app

App	On the Developer page
Desktop app	The Developer tools switch, then the Advanced features list
VS Code extension	The Developer tools switch, then the Advanced features list
Web app	Only the Developer tools switch

Each row in the Advanced features list has its own switch; Advanced features covers the rows and their risks. In the web app, three surfaces follow the Developer tools switch: the interactive HTML preview, the terminal tab and the plugins page appear only while it is on.

Open the configuration file

DataMind Oda keeps its settings in a configuration file on this computer, and it can open that file for you. The Open configuration file button appears only while all of these hold:

Developer tools is on.
You are working on the computer that runs Oda. When Oda is reached from another computer, the button is not offered.
A configuration file exists on this computer. Until Oda has read it, the button is not drawn.

To open the file:

Open Settings.
Choose Open configuration file in the header of the panel.
Oda hands the file to your computer, which opens it in the app your computer uses for that kind of file.

Worth knowing:

While the file is opening, the button is not available; choosing it again during an open is still the same single open.
If the file does not open, Oda shows Could not open configuration file. The button stays available, and a later successful open clears the message.
If Oda could not read the configuration file earlier, the button can return when Oda re-reads its settings.

Messages you may see

Message	What it means	What to do
`Could not save. Try again.`	Oda could not save your Developer tools change, so the switch returned to its saved value.	Try the change again.
`Could not open configuration file`	Oda could not open the configuration file on this computer, for example because no app is set up to open that kind of file.	Try again; the button stays available, and a later successful open clears the message.

Questions, answered

What is on the Developer page?

The Developer tools switch, in the Diagnostics group. In the desktop app and the VS Code extension the page also lists the Advanced features group, one row per powerful feature; the web app shows the switch alone. Advanced features covers those rows.

Is Developer tools on by default?

No. It is off until you turn it on, so a fresh installation keeps the developer surfaces hidden.

What does turning Developer tools on change?

DataMind Oda's diagnostic views and developer-only settings pages become available. In the web app, three surfaces follow the switch: the interactive HTML preview, the terminal tab and the plugins page appear only while it is on.

Why is a developer surface still missing after I turned the switch on?

The surface appears once Oda has confirmed the change. If Oda could not save or read the setting, it stays hidden; check for Could not save. Try again. and try again.

Why did the Developer tools switch return to off?

Oda could not save the change, so the switch went back to its saved value and showed Could not save. Try again. Try the switch again.

What is the configuration file?

The file where DataMind Oda keeps its settings on this computer. Open configuration file opens it in the app your computer uses for that kind of file, so you can look at those settings yourself.

Why can I not see Open configuration file?

All three have to hold: Developer tools is on, you are working on the computer that runs Oda, and a configuration file exists on this computer. If Oda could not read the file earlier, the button can also return when Oda re-reads its settings.

What does `Could not open configuration file` mean?

Oda could not open the configuration file, for example because no app is set up to open that kind of file. The button stays available; try again, and a later successful open clears the message.