Answer Oda's questions

While DataMind Oda works, some decisions belong to you. When one comes up, Oda asks in the chat and pauses that step until the question is answered or ended. This page covers the question card, how to answer it, and what happens when a question is skipped or cancelled.

When Oda asks you a question

• Oda asks only when your answer changes the result or the decision belongs to you.
• Related decisions arrive together in one card, and before a long unattended run Oda asks every decision it can foresee in advance.
• Questions carry choices and free text only. A step that needs more access is not a question: it uses an approval card instead; see Approvals.

The question card

• A card holds one or more questions. Each question has a short header and the question text, and it stands on its own.
• A question offers between 2 and 6 options. Every option has a label and a one-line description, and a question that accepts several answers lets you pick more than one.
• When Oda suggests an option, the card marks it Recommended, and the option's label ends with (Recommended), kept in English even when the labels are in another language. It is a hint only: every option works the same way.
• The questions take over the message box while the set waits. One card waits at a time, and a plan review comes before a question when both are waiting.
• The card scrolls inside itself when it is long, so its title and buttons stay in reach: Collapse the question card hides it while you read the chat, and Expand the question card brings it back.

Answer a set of questions

1. Choose an option, or write your own answer in Type your answer. A single-answer question moves on as soon as you choose; a question that accepts several answers waits while you pick them.
2. Move between the questions with Previous question and Next question; nothing is sent until you send the set. Press Enter to move on and to send from the last question, and Shift+Enter for a new line in a typed answer; while an input method is still composing characters, Enter only confirms the candidate.
3. Send the set with Submit on the last question. The step that asked carries on with your answers.
4. Leave a question unanswered with Skip, or cancel the whole set with Dismiss all questions.

• Your own words replace the choice on a single-answer question, and they are added to your picks on a question that accepts several answers.
• The card does not send a question you left empty by accident: it shows Please select an option or enter a custom answer. for the question on screen, and returns you to the first empty question with Please complete this question first.
• The Type your answer box grows with your words up to six lines and then scrolls inside itself, so a long answer never pushes the options out of reach.
• An answer you have not sent lives only in Oda's memory for this chat: it survives moving to another chat and back, is never written to settings or disk, and resets when the page reloads.

While a question waits

The step that asked stays paused, and the wait has no timeout. It ends when you answer or skip the question, cancel the set, or stop the step.

When a set ends without an answer

• Skipped. A question you leave unanswered with Skip goes back to Oda with no choice for it. Oda carries on when it can, without an answer for that question.
• Cancelled. Ending the set with Dismiss all questions stops the ask. Oda is told that you cancelled the questions and carries on without answers from the set; the app records the set as cancelled, which is not an error.
• Stopped. If the step is stopped before you answer, the ask is aborted before an answer arrives, and no answer is recorded.
• No one can answer. A question raised by a helper that runs below another agent, or in a run nobody is watching, is not shown: it comes back unasked, and the work carries on without an answer. Scheduled runs keep the open question in the run's record; see Scheduled runs and history.

How a plan review is answered

In plan mode, Oda presents its plan in a Plan review card before it changes anything. The review is answered like a question: Approve is the option that approves the plan, and every other choice declines it. That is how Request changes works: nothing is approved, and the message box returns so you can write what to change. You can reopen the plan from the side panel afterwards. Plan review covers the card, and Plan mode covers the mode.

Questions, answered

Why does Oda ask me instead of deciding itself?

Oda asks only when your answer changes the result or the decision belongs to you. Related questions arrive together, and before a long unattended run Oda asks every decision it can foresee.

How many questions can arrive at once?

One or more, in a single card. Every question stands on its own with its own header and options.

Can I answer in my own words?

Yes. Write it in Type your answer. On a single-answer question your text replaces the choice; on a question that accepts several answers it is added to your picks.

What does the Recommended mark mean?

It marks the option Oda suggests, and the label ends with (Recommended), kept in English even when the other labels are in another language. It is a hint only: every option works the same way.

What happens if I skip a question?

It goes back to Oda with no choice for it, and Oda carries on when it can without an answer for that question.

What happens when I cancel the whole set?

The ask stops: Oda is told that you cancelled the questions and carries on without answers from the set. The app records the set as cancelled, which is not an error.

Does a question time out if I do not answer?

No. The wait has no timeout: the step stays paused until you answer, skip or cancel, or the step is stopped.

How do I approve a plan when Oda asks?

Choose Approve: it is the option that approves the plan, and every other choice declines it, which is how Request changes works. See Plan review.

What happens if a scheduled run needs my answer?

No one is watching a scheduled run, so the question cannot be answered: it is not shown and comes back unasked. The run keeps the open question in its record; see Scheduled runs and history.

Is a question card the same as an approval card?

No. A question card asks for a decision that belongs to you; an approval card appears when a step needs more access than the chat's mode allows, with choices such as Allow once and Reject. See Approvals and Your first task.