Files open beside your chat as read-only preview tabs in the side panel, one tab per file. This page covers the Files tab, how Oda reads a file for viewing, and how the preview follows changes and the folder's branch.
Open a file in the preview
Open the side panel and choose Workspace files; the chat's folder opens as a file list. Browse workspace files covers the list, and The side panel the panel itself.
Choose a file, or open one from a card in the chat. It opens as its own tab in the panel, titled with the file's name.
Each open file keeps its own tab with a close control, and the add control opens another file.
Right-click a tab for its menu; Escape closes the menu.
Opening a preview starts nothing in the chat; Oda reads the file through the chat's folder.
Which viewer opens your file
The viewer is chosen for the file's type, and when more than one viewer fits, the tab's viewer control lets you switch.
Markdown, code and plain text open in the file preview, with Markdown rendered and code highlighted.
Spreadsheets open in the spreadsheet viewer; a .csv or .tsv file can also be read as Plain text.
A file with no viewer shows Preview is not available for this file type yet., with the open and reveal controls Open, More ways to open and Show file location (Open files and folders in other apps).
How Oda reads a file
A text file is read in line windows: a window starts at a requested line (the first line by default) and holds up to 5,000 lines. The window that holds the file's last line is marked as the end of the file.
Binary content is read in windows of up to 2 MiB by default. A window over its limit is refused rather than shortened, so you never see part of a file that looks whole.
A whole file larger than 32 MiB is not read in one piece.
Reads use the rights of your computer account, so a single file outside the chat's folder opens when a link or a step points to it. Listing folders and watching directories stay inside the chat's folder.
A folder lists in name order and stops at 2,000 entries with a note when there are more. A link among the entries reports the kind it points to, but a read still refuses a file reached through a link.
A file that refers to another file beside it (an image next to a Markdown file, a script next to an HTML page) resolves the reference from the referring file's folder.
When a read fails
A read that cannot run reports why, with one of these messages:
no entry at "<path>": there is nothing at that path; it may have been moved or deleted.
"<path>" is a <type>: the path names a folder, a link or something other than a regular file.
"<path>" is outside the workspace: a folder listing or folder watch pointed outside the chat's folder.
"<path>" contains NUL bytes: the file is not text, so a text read cannot show it.
"<path>" is not UTF-8 text: the file's bytes do not decode as text.
"<path>" exceeds the <n> byte full-file cap: the file is too large to read whole; open it in its usual application.
A preview is never answered with content that does not match the file: a file moved or replaced under the preview surfaces as an error, not as different content.
Follow a file as it changes
While a preview tab stays open, Oda watches the file and refreshes the view when it changes. For each chat and each file, one watch serves every open preview of it.
If a watch is interrupted, the preview reports it instead of continuing with text that may be out of date. Where watching is not available, the preview still opens the file.
The folder's branch
When the chat's folder is inside a Git repository, its state appears as the checked-out branch, or the commit when the checkout is detached. Nothing appears when the folder is not in a repository or the state cannot be named.
Oda reads the repository's own files to work this out; it never runs git commands, and the state follows a checkout or a new repository without a reload.
Read a PDF
Use the Choose zoom control for the presets 100%, 150% and Fit width; it appears as you point into the bottom of the pane.
Select and copy text as you would in a reader; the selection follows the page.
Read Word and PowerPoint files
Word and PowerPoint documents open as a converted copy you can read and select; Read the file again reads the document once more in the same tab.
The conversion needs the document preview service on the computer running DataMind Oda. When it is off, the preview says Read failed: Office previews are unavailable. Enable the document preview service on the computer running DataMind Oda.
A document that cannot be read reports why: Read failed: This Office file cannot be previewed. It may be damaged, password protected, or have the wrong extension.
When the converted document uses fonts this computer does not have, a warning appears beside Read the file again. Open it for the list of missing font names (the dialog is titled Missing fonts); Escape returns focus to the warning, and closing the list keeps both the warning and your place in the document.
Note
Office previews convert the document on the computer running DataMind Oda; the preview reads the converted copy and your original file is not changed.
Read spreadsheets
Spreadsheets open read-only, and the formula bar does not accept edits; Preview spreadsheets covers worksheets, copying and the file limits.
A workbook with formulas shows This workbook contains formulas. Displayed results may be missing or inaccurate. beside the formula bar; results show as saved, and nothing recalculates.
Charts and conditional formatting are not shown: This preview does not support charts, conditional formatting in this workbook. Open it in a system application for the full experience.
A spreadsheet that cannot be opened reports This spreadsheet could not be opened. Check its format, contents, or password protection.
Questions, answered
Can I keep several files open at once?
Yes. Each open file is its own tab in the side panel: the tab carries a close control, and the add control opens another file.
How do I close a file tab?
Point at the tab for its close control; right-click the tab for its menu, and Escape closes the menu.
Something in my chat opened a file at a particular line. Why?
A chat step or a link can name a line; the preview opens the file and brings that line into view.
How do I know I have reached the end of a long file?
The window that holds the file's last line is marked as the end of the file, so you can tell it apart from a window that has more after it.
Do two previews of the same file watch it twice?
No. For each chat and each file, one watch serves every open preview of it; a preview of the same file in another chat has its own.
When I select text in a PDF, does it match the page?
Yes. The selection follows the page: copied text stays aligned with what is shown, including on rotated pages, and a selection started in a table does not run on into the sections below it.
What does Read the file again do?
It reads the document once more in the same tab. A finished conversion is reused while it is available, so reading again does not start the conversion over.
Does the folder's branch line stay current?
Yes. It follows a checkout or a new repository without a reload, and shows nothing when the folder is not in a repository or the state cannot be named.
Could the preview show me content from a different file?
No. A preview is never answered with content that does not match the file: a file moved or replaced under the preview shows an error instead.