Rewind and restore files

When you rewind a chat to an earlier message, DataMind Oda can also put back the files it changed after that message. This page covers what can be put back and how to choose it. The rewind itself is on Edit, rewind and retry a message, and the folders and access modes Oda works under are on Workspaces, files and permissions.

Rewind with a file restore

1. Start a rewind: point at a message and choose Rewind to here, or run /rewind and pick a prompt from the list.
2. When Oda kept copies it can put back, the Rewind to this message dialog opens first. The box Restore files Oda changed after this message ({count}) is on by default, and its number counts the files Oda changed after that message. If nothing can be put back, the rewind runs straight away, without the dialog.
3. Choose Show files to see the details, and Hide files to fold them away: the files that will be put back, and the files that cannot. A file that cannot be put back reads Cannot be restored: {reason}, for example too large to keep a copy or checkpoint storage was full. Files changed outside Oda are listed under Changed outside Oda — not restored, each with its own Restore anyway box.
4. Choose Rewind to go ahead. The button reads Working… while Oda works, and the dialog cannot be closed until it finishes. Cancel closes it without changing anything.
5. When the rewind finishes, the chat shows what the restore did: a card titled Files restored to before the message, a summary in the form {restored} restored · {deleted} deleted · {skipped} skipped · {failed} failed, and the files grouped under Restored, Deleted, Skipped and Failed. A skipped file names the reason; a failed file names the message.

You can clear the box to rewind without touching your files. The same choice appears when you Edit a message and Oda changed files after it.

• What comes back to the message box. A rewound message returns with its text and its images; any other files it carried do not come back with it.

What Oda can put back

Oda keeps a copy before it changes a file with its own file steps: creating, replacing or editing a file, as described in Read, write and edit files. That copy is what a restore puts back.

• One copy per prompt. Oda keeps the content the file had before its first change after that message, once per prompt, even if several steps changed the same file.
• Only Oda's own changes. A file Oda never changed is not in the record, so a restore does not touch it, and a change made by a command is not recorded.
• Size limits. A file larger than 20 MiB is not copied, and a chat keeps at most 500 MB of copies. Past either limit, the file cannot be put back, and it is listed with its reason.
• Folders left out. A folder your setup keeps out of the record is skipped, even if Oda changed a file inside it.
• Never a blocker. If a copy cannot be taken, Oda still makes the change; that file is then not offered for a restore.
• Files already back. A file that already holds the content a restore would put back is not listed.

Files changed outside Oda

A file can hold changes made after Oda last touched it, for example an edit from another program. Putting the kept copy back would replace those newer changes, so Oda leaves the file alone and lists it under Changed outside Oda — not restored.

To put one back anyway, tick its Restore anyway box before you choose Rewind. Only the files you tick are put back; the others stay as they are. If you clear the restore box, these boxes are disabled and the rewind keeps every file.

What a restore never covers

A restore covers the files in the record and nothing else. The choice always carries this line:

Changes made by shell commands, memory, skills and scheduled tasks are not undone.

A change a command made is not recorded, so a rewind does not put it back.

After the restore

• Earlier content is written back as a whole, so a file is never left half restored.
• A file Oda created is deleted when you rewind to before it. Folders Oda created stay.
• Helper chats count with this chat. If a helper chat Oda started for part of the work changed a file, the change belongs to this chat and can be put back with the rest.
• Every version shares one record. A chat with several versions draws on the same kept copies, whichever version you rewind from; Conversation branches covers versions.
• The restore itself is remembered. A later rewind compares against the content that was put back, so your restored files are not mistaken for changes made outside Oda.
• A copy that cannot be read is reported. If a kept copy cannot be read when the restore runs, its file lands under Failed; the rest of the restore goes ahead.

Questions, answered

Which files get put back when I rewind?

The files Oda changed with its own file steps after that message and kept a copy of. A file Oda never changed stays as it is, and a change made by a command is not put back.

How do I see which files will be put back before I confirm?

In the Rewind to this message dialog, choose Show files. The list shows what will be put back, and the files that cannot go back, each with its reason. Hide files folds the list again.

Why can't some files be put back?

Oda lists each of those files with its reason. too large to keep a copy means the file was above the size Oda copies; checkpoint storage was full means the chat's stored copies were full. A file changed outside Oda is left alone unless you tick it.

What does Changed outside Oda — not restored mean?

Oda changed that file after the message, but the file changed again outside Oda since. Putting the kept copy back would replace those newer changes, so Oda leaves the file as it is unless you ask for it.

How do I put back a file that changed outside Oda?

Tick Restore anyway next to that file in the dialog, then choose Rewind. Only the files you tick are put back.

What happens to files Oda created when I rewind to before them?

The file is deleted, because before that message it did not exist. A folder Oda created stays.

Are changes made by commands put back?

No. The record covers the files Oda changes with its own file steps, and a change made by a command is not in it. The restore choice always carries the line Changes made by shell commands, memory, skills and scheduled tasks are not undone.

Do changes a helper chat made count in my restore?

Yes. If a helper chat Oda started for part of the work changed a file, the change counts with this chat, and a restore can put it back with the rest.

My chat has several versions. Which copies does a rewind use?

The same shared record. Every version of a chat draws on the same kept copies, so the rewind puts back the content from the message you choose, whichever version you are viewing.

Where do I see what the restore did?

A card titled Files restored to before the message appears in the chat, with a summary of restored, deleted, skipped and failed counts, and the files grouped under Restored, Deleted, Skipped and Failed. A skipped file names the reason; a failed file names the message.

Can I rewind without putting files back?

Yes. Clear the box Restore files Oda changed after this message ({count}) before you choose Rewind. The rewind then starts the new version and leaves your files as they are.