Add, rename or delete a workspace

A workspace is the folder on your computer where DataMind Oda works, and every chat belongs to one. This page shows how to add a workspace, choose one for a chat, and rename or remove one from the sidebar; Workspaces, files and permissions covers what Oda may do inside it.

Add a workspace

1. In the sidebar, choose Add workspace (it sits in the section header; in a collapsed sidebar it is a small button).
2. The folder chooser opens. Pick the folder you want Oda to work in; Choosing the workspace folder covers the chooser itself.
3. Oda adds the folder to your workspace list and starts a chat in it.

The Add workspace control appears only when folder picking is available in your copy of Oda. If folder picking is not available, the control is not shown.

Choose a workspace for a chat

When a chat has no folder yet, the workspace picker lists what you can choose from, with Loading workspaces… shown until the list is ready.

• Choose an existing workspace to use it for this chat.
• Choose Add workspace… to open the folder chooser and use the folder you pick. With workspaces listed it sits at the end of the picker; when you have none yet, the same control opens the folder chooser straight away.
• Two folders whose names match appear as two workspaces, listed separately; choose the entry you want.
• While the folder chooser is open, or while Oda is applying the folder you picked, the other actions in the picker are unavailable until it finishes.

Rename a workspace

1. Open the workspace row's ... menu (its name reads Workspace actions for <name>) and choose Rename.
2. In the Rename workspace dialog, edit the Workspace name field; it opens with the current name filled in.
3. Choose Rename, or press Enter, to save. Closing the dialog without saving changes nothing.

• You cannot save while the name is empty, unchanged from the current one, or already used by another workspace, or while the previous save is still running.
• A name another workspace already uses shows A workspace named “Beta” already exists.
• If saving fails, the dialog stays open with the message; change the name to clear it and try again.

Delete a workspace

1. Open the workspace row's ... menu and choose Delete workspace.
2. The Delete workspace dialog explains what happens: This removes “<name>” from the workspace list. The folder and session logs will be kept. Its sessions will appear under Ungrouped.
3. Confirm the removal. The dialog shows Deleting workspace… while it is applied, and closes once the workspace has left the list.

• Its chats move under Ungrouped in the sidebar.
• Adding the same folder again starts a new workspace; the chats that belonged to the old one stay under Ungrouped.
• If the removal fails, the dialog keeps the message and you can try again. Closing the dialog leaves your list as it is.

Questions, answered

Why can't I see Add workspace?

If the control is not shown at all, folder picking is not available in your copy of Oda, so there is no folder chooser to open. Separately, while a chooser is open or Oda is applying the folder you picked, the other actions are unavailable until it finishes. Choosing the workspace folder covers how picking works.

Can two workspaces have the same name?

Yes. Two folders whose names match become two workspaces with the same title, and the picker lists them as separate entries. Renaming is stricter: a name another workspace already uses is refused with A workspace named “Beta” already exists.

Does the workspace name follow the folder on disk?

No. The name in Oda's list is kept separately from the folder on your computer, so renaming the folder does not rename the workspace. Use Rename in the workspace's ... menu to change the name shown in Oda.

The pick failed with Couldn’t open folder. What now?

Oda could not open the folder you picked, and the dialog shows the reason the computer gave. Choose Choose again to pick another folder, or close the dialog to stop; nothing changes until a folder is picked successfully. Cancelling the chooser itself is silent: no dialog appears and nothing happens.

Does removing a workspace delete the folder or my chats?

No. Removing a workspace takes off only its entry in Oda's list. The folder and its files stay where they are, the chat logs are kept, and the workspace's chats move under Ungrouped in the sidebar.

Can I undo removing a workspace?

No. The removal cannot be undone, and adding the same folder again starts a new workspace; the chats that belonged to the removed one stay under Ungrouped. How Oda stores workspaces describes how the list is kept.

Why can't I save my new workspace name?

The Rename workspace dialog refuses a name that is empty, unchanged from the current one, or already used by another workspace, and it locks the field while the rename is being saved. If the save fails, the dialog stays open with the message; change the name to clear it and try again.

Why does Oda ask me to choose a workspace?

A chat needs a folder before it can work. When a chat has none yet, Oda shows the picker: choose one of your workspaces, or add a folder with Add workspace…. The chat then belongs to the workspace you chose.