Start a new chat

Every task in DataMind Oda begins in a chat. Start one from the sidebar with New chat, or from a workspace's own row when you already know which folder the work belongs to.

Start a chat

• New chat sits at the top of the sidebar, above search, and shows its shortcut as a keycap: Ctrl N, or ⌘ N on macOS.
• The shortcut works even while you are typing in the message box, so you can start a chat mid-sentence; Keyboard shortcuts lists every shortcut.
• When the sidebar is collapsed or hidden, the same New chat control stays at hand.
• Oda opens the chat in a workspace (see below), and until you send the first message its row reads New Session.

Start a chat in a workspace you choose

1. Point at a workspace row in the sidebar. The row reveals a plus button, whose name reads New session in <name>.
2. Choose it. The workspace expands if it was closed, and Oda opens a chat that belongs to that workspace from the start.

Which workspace a new chat opens in

Without a workspace of your own choosing, Oda decides in this order:

1. The workspace of the chat you are in.
2. The workspace you worked in most recently.
3. If you have no workspaces at all, a blank New Session page opens, and you pick a workspace for it (Add, rename or delete a workspace).

• If the workspace already holds an unused new chat, Oda brings it back instead of adding a second empty row.
• A chat works in one folder; Workspaces, files and permissions covers what Oda may do there.

The blank New Session row

Until its first message, your chat is a placeholder in the list:

• Its row reads New Session and keeps the first slot of its list, in every grouping.
• It has no time, no menu and no name: renaming, pinning, forking and archiving all wait until the chat has its first message (Pin, rename, fork or archive a chat).
• It cannot be dragged, and search never returns it (Search your chats).
• Only the New Session you are in shows a row; leave it unused and the list shows your chats instead.
• After your first message the row becomes an ordinary chat and takes a name of its own (Chat titles).

The first time you use Oda

When you have no workspaces and no chats yet, Oda makes a workspace named Default workspace for you and starts you in a New Session there. If it cannot create the folder, it shows Unable to create default workspace. Use Choose workspace to select a folder. and leaves the choice to you; Add, rename or delete a workspace shows how to pick a folder.

Where Oda opens when you start it again

• Oda reopens the chat you had open when you last used it, including an unused New Session.
• If no chat was open, Oda opens the workspace you worked in most recently and leaves a New Session ready there.

Questions, answered

Can I start a new chat from the keyboard?

Yes. Press Ctrl N (⌘ N on macOS); it works even while you are typing in the message box. Keyboard shortcuts lists every shortcut.

How do I start a chat in a workspace I choose?

Point at the workspace's row in the sidebar and choose the plus button, whose name reads New session in <name>. The workspace expands if it was closed, and the chat belongs to that workspace.

Do I have to choose a workspace for every new chat?

No. Oda uses the workspace of the chat you are in, or the workspace you worked in most recently. Choose the plus button on a workspace's row when you want a different one.

Why does my new chat show New Session with no menu?

The chat has no messages yet, so its row is a placeholder: it shows the label New Session instead of a name, keeps the first slot, and has no menu, no time and no drag until you send the first message.

What happens if I leave my new chat unused?

It stays as the unused new chat of its workspace. Its row is not shown while you are in another chat, it never appears in search, and the next time you start a chat in that workspace, Oda brings the same one back.

What happens the first time I use Oda?

Oda makes a workspace named Default workspace and starts a New Session in it. If it cannot create the folder, it shows Unable to create default workspace. Use Choose workspace to select a folder. and you pick a folder yourself.

Where does Oda open when I start it again?

Oda reopens the chat you had open when you last used it, including an unused New Session. If no chat was open, it opens the workspace you worked in most recently, with a New Session ready.

What does New session failed mean?

Oda could not create the chat, and the notice carries the reason it was refused. Nothing else changes: the chat you were in stays as it was. Try New chat again.