Post-session practice

Practise with ChatGPT Desktop

Open the practice folder in your desktop app and try four activities.

Start here Open the online page

Prototype: your progress stays in this browser. The desktop app has its own data-handling settings.

Start here

Open the practice folder as a project in your desktop app. Then try the four activities below.

1. Open the practice folder

Use the extracted chatgpt-desktop-practice folder containing this page.

The folder contains STARTHERE.html (this guide), AGENTS.md and sample-messy-folder. Open STARTHERE.html in your browser. Keep them together.

2. Add the folder as a project

In ChatGPT Desktop, switch to Work. Click Choose project, then New project.

Click a screenshot to enlarge it.

Choose project menu with New project at the bottom

Give the project a name, such as ChatGPT practice. Under Source folders, click Add folders ChatGPT can read and edit. Select the extracted chatgpt-desktop-practice folder, not the ZIP, then click Create project.

Create project dialog showing the project name and Source folders controls

Other desktop agents may use different names for these controls.

The activities use the files inside sample-messy-folder. You can ask the agent:

What's in the sample messy folder?

3. Try an activity

Keep this page open beside your desktop app. Read an activity, copy its prompt into the app and continue the conversation there.

Open Activity 1: Inspect a messy folder

You can return here at any time, or choose another activity below.

Choose an activity

Use sample-messy-folder from the downloaded pack, or choose a folder of your own. Work through the activities in order, or start with the one that is most useful to you.

01 · 15 minutesInspect a messy folderUnderstand a folder before changing it. 02 · 20 minutesOrganise a folderOrganise the files after agreeing a plan. 03 · 30 minutesCreate a folder dashboardBuild a useful local view of the files. 04 · 25 minutesCreate project instructionsMake project rules persist across chats.
← Start here and activities

Activity 1 · about 15 minutes

Inspect a messy folder

Status

About 15 minutes.

Find out what is in a folder before deciding whether to change it. You will leave with a short summary of its contents and a list of questions to resolve.

Use the sample folder

Use sample-messy-folder inside the practice folder already open in your desktop app. There is no need to create another project or open the sample folder separately. Nothing in this activity should create, rename, move, delete or edit files.

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Start with a simple prompt

What's in the sample messy folder?

Ask for more details

  1. File sizes and types
  2. Possible duplicates
  3. File contents

Next: Organise the folder.

← Start here and activities

Activity 2 · about 20 minutes

Organise a folder

Status

About 20 minutes.

Use the same sample folder to try organising the project plans, meeting notes, data and dashboard files into sensible groups.

Work directly in the sample folder, not a separate copy. You can download the practice pack again to start fresh. For your own files, make sure you have a backup.

Start with a simple prompt

Suggest how to organise this folder.

Discuss the proposal

  1. Where should the different files go?
  2. What should happen to duplicates?
  3. Which versions should stay separate?

Try the organisation

When you are happy with the plan:

Go ahead with that plan.

Open the folder and check the result.

Next: Create a folder dashboard.

← Start here and activities

Activity 3 · about 30 minutes

Create a folder dashboard

Status

About 30 minutes.

Turn the information about your files into an HTML page showing what the folder contains.

Start with a simple prompt

Make an HTML dashboard of this folder.

Ask for more details

  1. File types and counts
  2. File sizes and dates
  3. Possible duplicates and files needing review

Open and improve it

Open the dashboard in your browser. Check its figures against the folder, then ask for a change that would make it more useful.

Show the file types and sizes as charts.

Next: Create project instructions.

← Start here and activities

Activity 4 · about 25 minutes

Create project instructions

Status

About 25 minutes.

Write an AGENTS.md file describing the folder and how you want the agent to work with it.

Start with a simple prompt

Help me write an AGENTS.md for this folder.

Discuss what to include

  1. What the project is for
  2. What the agent should help with
  3. What it should ask before changing
  4. Where new files should go
  5. How it should name files and check its work

Save and try it

Review the draft, then ask the agent to save it as AGENTS.md directly in sample-messy-folder. Leave the practice pack's existing AGENTS.md unchanged. If the sample folder already has one, discuss changes rather than replacing it.

Start a new conversation in the folder:

What instructions do you have for this folder?