Goals

A goal keeps DataMind Oda working on one objective, round after round, until the goal is met or Oda needs you. This page covers the surfaces a goal adds to your chat and how to manage it.

Set a goal with /goal

1. In the message box, type /goal followed by the objective, for example /goal Prepare the monthly report.
2. Send it. The command appears in the chat as a Command input bubble, and the goal appears at once: a pill by the message box, and a card in the chat's Activity panel.
3. Oda works the goal in rounds: one turn per round, continuing on its own in the same chat until the goal is met or it needs you.

Run /goal with no objective to see the current goal. When no goal is set, the result reads No goal is currently set. and a usage line lists the accepted forms: Usage: /goal [<objective>|clear|edit <objective>|pause|resume].

Commands start with a slash at the beginning of the message; Slash commands and references covers how they are typed.

Follow a running goal

While the goal runs, a pill sits by the message box and shows:

• a ring that fills with the rounds the goal has run;
• the label Goal, or Paused when the goal is paused;
• your objective, shortened when it is long;
• how many rounds the goal has run out of its limit, and how long it has been running, ticking each second.

Click the pill to open the goal's card in Activity, or choose Open in Activity in the pill's menu. When the goal is met, the pill briefly reads Goal met with the rounds it took and the total time, for example Goal met · 14 rounds · 2h 03m, and leaves after four seconds. A small celebration plays at that moment, unless reduced motion is on.

How rounds work

• Each round is one turn in the same chat. Oda finishes the round, then takes the next one while the goal is active, without a new message from you.
• If the goal passes its time limit, it stops as blocked: Goal blocked · Time limit.
• If the goal uses up its rounds, it stops as blocked: Goal blocked · Round limit.
• A goal cannot report itself blocked until Oda has done real work on it.
• A blocked goal does not continue on its own; it waits for you to continue it.

Pause and resume a goal

• To stop the goal from continuing, choose Pause goal on the pill or Pause on its card. The pill shows Paused, and the goal stays in the chat.
• To continue, choose Resume goal or Resume. The goal starts taking rounds again.
• While a change is being applied, its control is disabled, so the same change cannot be sent twice.
• If a change does not go through, the surface shows a short error note and the goal stays as it was.

Edit or clear a goal

• To change the objective, choose Edit objective in the Goal actions menu, Edit on the card, or Edit in the notice. The editor opens on the current objective, in a field labelled Goal objective.
• Press Enter or choose Save goal to keep the change; Escape or Cancel edit closes the editor without saving. An objective that is only spaces cannot be saved.
• To remove the goal, choose Clear goal in the pill menu, Clear on the card, or Drop goal in the notice. When the change goes through, every goal surface leaves at once; if it is refused, the goal stays.

When a goal needs you

A notice can appear at the top of the chat when the goal cannot continue; while a notice is up, the pill does not show.

• On hold. If Oda was closed while the goal ran, the notice reads Goal on hold and explains: Oda was closed while this goal ran. Resume to continue. It also shows a line with the round it reached and the time it ran. Choose Resume to continue.
• Blocked. The notice reads Goal blocked followed by the reason: Time limit, Round limit or Needs input. When the goal gave one, the unfolded notice spells out the blocker in the goal's own words.
• Review unfolds the notice, where Edit and Drop goal join Resume; Escape folds it again. When all of the goal's rounds have been used, Edit appears in place of Resume, so you can adjust the objective first.
• Hide puts the notice away until the goal changes. It does not clear the goal.

The full list of messages Oda can show is on Updates and troubleshooting.

The goal card in Activity

Every goal that is not met has a card in the chat's Activity panel:

• its state, as Running, Paused, On hold or Blocked;
• your objective, with Show more and Show less when it is long;
• two tiles: Rounds, with the rounds run and the limit, and Running for, with the time;
• a line saying when it last changed, such as Updated just now or Updated 1h ago;
• the actions Pause or Resume, Edit and Clear.

When the goal is met, the card leaves Activity.

Questions, answered

How do I set a goal?

Set it with /goal and the objective, for example /goal Prepare the monthly report. A pill and a card appear at once, and Oda works the goal in rounds.

What happens if I run /goal with no goal set?

The result reads No goal is currently set. and lists the accepted forms in a usage line: Usage: /goal [<objective>|clear|edit <objective>|pause|resume]. Set one with /goal and an objective.

How do I see how far a goal has come?

The pill shows a ring, the rounds the goal has run out of its limit, and the time it has been running, ticking each second. The card in Activity gives the same counts as Rounds and Running for. There is no estimate of how much time is left.

How do I pause a goal and continue it later?

Choose Pause goal on the pill, or Pause on the card; the pill shows Paused and the goal stays in the chat. Choose Resume goal or Resume to start its rounds again.

Why does a notice say Oda was closed while this goal ran?

The goal was active when Oda was closed, so it came back on hold and is waiting for you. Choose Resume to continue; Hide puts the notice away until the goal changes.

What does Goal blocked mean?

The goal stopped and will not continue by itself. The notice adds the reason, such as Time limit, Round limit or Needs input, and spells out the blocker in the goal's own words when it gave one. Choose Resume to continue; when all its rounds are used, Edit appears instead, so you can adjust the objective first.

What does Hide do?

It puts the notice away until the goal changes; the goal stays as it is. To clear the goal, use Drop goal in the unfolded notice.

Can I change the goal after I set it?

Yes. Choose Edit objective in the pill menu, or Edit on the card or the notice, and save the new objective. An objective that is only spaces cannot be saved.

How do I clear a goal?

Choose Clear goal in the pill menu, Clear on the card, or Drop goal in the notice. When the change goes through, the goal's surfaces leave at once.

What happens when the goal is met?

The pill reads Goal met with the rounds it took and the total time, for example Goal met · 14 rounds · 2h 03m, and leaves after four seconds. The card leaves Activity as well.

Does a goal keep working without new messages from me?

Yes. While the goal is active, Oda keeps taking rounds in the same chat without a new message from you. If Oda is closed, the goal goes on hold and waits for Resume.