Oda drives a browser for the parts of a task that live on a web page. It does that through a browser tool set: the part of the setup that gives a chat its browser tools. This page explains how the tool set is chosen, how a chat gets a browser, and the rules and limits behind it. For the browser you share with Oda, see The shared browser in the side panel; for what each browser call does, see Browser reference: tools, policy and limits.
Oda drives a browser through a single tool set, enabled for your setup. It comes from one of three kinds:
Only one tool set is enabled at a time. Enabling a second one fails and names the tool set already registered. Loading or reloading a tool set applies from the next chat on: a chat keeps the tool set it started with.
A tool set runs in one of two modes:
launch mode starts Oda's own browser, separate from yours. It runs with no visible window by default, and a specific browser program can be chosen for it.attach mode uses a browser that is already open on the computer. A new chat claims it as the chat starts and keeps it for that chat; a browser that is busy at that moment is left alone, and the chat goes on without one.The browser tabs appear in the chat's side panel. The VS Code extension can show them in the editor area beside your code instead, and element picking is offered in the desktop app only.
When something goes wrong in the extension, the reason comes back in plain words rather than a code, for example the browser refused the connection, the tab was closed, the page did not finish loading, or VS Code could not open its browser.
In the browser it drives, Oda can:
It cannot run JavaScript inside a page: the calls above are the whole of what it does there.
What Oda can do in the browser lists the operations and their reports, and Browser reference: tools, policy and limits has the full details of each call.
In the browser it drives, the first read or action on a site asks you first: the question reads Allow Oda to read and act on <site>?, and it offers Allow in this chat, Always allow <site> or Deny. Reading counts too, because what the page shows travels to the model.
Your organization does not allow Oda on this site.The shared browser in the side panel walks through the question, and Manage DataMind Oda for your company covers the rules.
When a browser setup loads, Oda checks it before anything runs. A setup that fails a check does not start:
| Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Oda could not start the browser helper | The browser tool set could not connect when the chat started, or its tools did not synchronise, so the chat's start was refused. | Start the chat again, or ask your administrator to check the tool set. Oda does not retry by itself. |
Three more reports follow the same rule of never showing the tool set's own name: a tab that no longer exists means Oda reads the tab list and chooses a current tab; a browser helper that has closed means the browser side of the tool set is gone for that page; and a connection cleanup that does not finish in time means Oda reports that the browser connection did not close in time.
One tool set, enabled for your setup: a tool set built on a browser's own developer tools, a general automation tool set, or one that drives pages through a scripted API. Only one is enabled at a time, and a reload applies from the next chat on.
It depends on the tool set's mode. In launch mode Oda starts its own browser, separate from yours, and it can run with no visible window. In attach mode Oda uses a browser that is already open: a new chat claims it when it starts, and a browser that is busy at that moment is left alone, with the chat going on without one.
In the chat's side panel. The VS Code extension can show them in the editor area beside your code instead, and element picking is offered in the desktop app only.
Oda checks the setup before anything runs: the attachment address must be a valid http, https, ws or wss address with no spaces; attach mode needs that address; an extension identifier belongs to attach mode only, and a path to a browser program to launch mode only; and the per-call time limit must be at least one second. A setup that fails a check does not start.
The browser tool set could not connect when the chat started, or its tools did not synchronise. The chat's start is refused, and Oda does not retry by itself; start the chat again, and if it repeats, ask your administrator.
When the tool set uses a browser that was already open, letting it go ends only Oda's connection: the browser and its pages stay open on the computer. Close it yourself when you no longer need it.
In the VS Code extension, connection and page problems come back as plain words. the browser refused the connection means the extension could not reach the browser; the tab was closed means the page is no longer open; the page did not finish loading means the page took too long; and VS Code could not open its browser means the editor could not start its browser pane. Reload the editor window and try again; if it repeats, restart DataMind Oda.
Oda is told that the tab is unavailable and reads the tab list to choose a current tab, then continues from there. If the page itself is gone, open it again or ask Oda to.