Every chat works in a folder on your computer, and Oda calls that folder a workspace. When a chat needs one, or when you add a workspace, Oda opens a folder chooser so you can pick the folder. This page covers the chooser itself and the folder Oda prepares for you on first use. The workspace list lives on Manage workspaces and chats, what Oda may do inside the folder on Workspaces and permissions, and Your first task walks through the first run.
Closing the chooser without confirming changes nothing: a cancelled pick is not an error, and you can open the chooser again at any time.
The in-app dialog browses folders on the computer Oda runs on and opens at that computer's home folder every time.
. works. A typed path opens with the folder above it beside it when that can be listed too, or on its own.New folder in "{name}" line names the folder it will create in. Type the name in Folder name and choose Create. The name must be one plain name: a blank name is refused, and so are names with slashes, the names . and ., and names that are already taken. One folder is created at a time. The dialog then shows the created folder selected.If a folder takes a moment to list, a Loading… pill appears. If something fails, the message stays inside the dialog.
The dialog browses the whole computer and lists folders only. It has no search, it cannot select several folders at once, and it cannot rename or delete. When one folder holds more folders than a single listing carries (1,000 at a time by default), the dialog keeps the first names in order and adds the note Too many folders to list; only the beginning is shown. The folders themselves are not affected.
On first use, Oda prepares a Default workspace so a new chat has a folder to work in right away. Its folder is created inside your Documents folder, at DataMind Oda/. Its title in Oda is kept separately from the folder name, so renaming one does not rename the other.
Oda looks for your Documents folder the way your system reports it: on Windows it uses the folder Windows itself uses, including a redirected one; on macOS it asks the system; on Linux it reads your user directories setting. Looking for the folder creates nothing, and if the system reports no usable Documents folder, Oda does not guess: no default workspace is made, and you can pick a folder yourself.
If the folder cannot be created, a notice reads Unable to create default workspace. Choose Choose workspace to pick a folder yourself.
The chooser works with folder names and paths only. It returns the path of the folder you pick, and nothing from it is sent in a model request.
Oda decides when it starts, and the same chooser serves every pick until Oda restarts. At the computer that runs Oda, your operating system's folder dialog opens; when a system dialog cannot be reached, the in-app Select Workspace Directory dialog opens instead. On Linux, the system dialog also needs a graphical session and a chooser tool such as zenity or kdialog.
Oda decides once, from how it was started, and it cannot always tell where you really are. A launch that looks local but is reached from somewhere else can put the system dialog on the computer that runs Oda, and that dialog must be answered there. If it opens where you are not, reopen Oda from the computer you are sitting at and try again.
Use the folder button on a blank chat, before the first message: it shows the chat's folder and lets you pick another one, and the chat moves there. To move a chat that has already started, use the sidebar; Manage workspaces and chats covers it.
Yes. Choose Edit path; the field opens with the current folder's path. As you type, the text filters the folder list. Press Enter to go to the folder you typed, and Escape or clicking away puts the trail back. A step like . works. While a typed path is still a draft, Open and New folder wait until you press Enter or clear the text.
In the in-app dialog, choose New folder, type the name in Folder name, and choose Create. It creates one folder inside the folder you are viewing. The name must be a single plain name: blank names, names with slashes, the names . and ., and names already taken are refused. The dialog then shows the created folder selected.
The list carries a limited number of folder names (1,000 at a time by default), and the dialog says Too many folders to list; only the beginning is shown. The other folders are still on your computer: type a path with Edit path to reach one the list did not show.
Oda treats folders whose names start with a dot as hidden, and the dialog leaves them out until you switch on Show hidden files. The switch starts off each time the dialog opens. On Windows the folder's hidden attribute is not used; the dot rule counts on every platform.
No. The in-app dialog only lists folders, steps into them and creates a new one. It has no rename, delete or search, and it cannot select several folders at once. Use the usual tools on your computer for renaming and deleting.
Nothing is picked and nothing changes. Closing the chooser is a cancellation, not a failure, so no error appears, and you can open the chooser again when you are ready.
Inside your Documents folder, at DataMind Oda/. Its title in Oda (Default workspace) is kept separately from the folder name, so renaming the folder does not rename the workspace, and renaming the workspace does not rename the folder.
Folder names and the path you pick, nothing more. Nothing from the picker is sent in a model request.