1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,342 Welcome. If you have never written code, you can start here. 2 00:00:04,342 --> 00:00:08,313 Codex is an AI assistant that can help you understand and change a project on 3 00:00:08,313 --> 00:00:12,388 your computer. You describe the result you want in ordinary language. 4 00:00:12,388 --> 00:00:15,082 It can work on the files, and you check what happened. 5 00:00:15,082 --> 00:00:18,089 A project is simply a group of related files. 6 00:00:18,089 --> 00:00:20,179 Our example is a small reading list. 7 00:00:20,179 --> 00:00:24,277 We will change one heading, from Weekend reading to My reading list, while leaving 8 00:00:24,277 --> 00:00:26,262 the books and the design alone. 9 00:00:26,262 --> 00:00:28,422 That gives us something easy to check. 10 00:00:28,422 --> 00:00:32,114 The screens in this video are teaching illustrations, not a live recording of 11 00:00:32,114 --> 00:00:35,248 Codex. Your version may look a little different. 12 00:00:35,248 --> 00:00:36,909 Pause whenever you need to. 13 00:00:36,909 --> 00:00:39,509 You do not need to memorize the interface. 14 00:00:39,509 --> 00:00:43,236 By the end, you should know where the files are, how to ask for a small change, 15 00:00:43,236 --> 00:00:44,722 and how to check the result. 16 00:00:44,733 --> 00:00:48,831 Start with the official desktop quickstart linked with this guide. 17 00:00:48,831 --> 00:00:53,069 Download the app for your computer and sign in with your ChatGPT account. 18 00:00:53,069 --> 00:00:56,634 Check the current account requirements there; this lesson does not provide a 19 00:00:56,634 --> 00:01:02,148 subscription. OpenAI currently describes the download as the ChatGPT desktop 20 00:01:02,148 --> 00:01:05,480 app. If you see a product menu, choose Codex. 21 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,905 If your app already opens in Codex, stay there. 22 00:01:08,905 --> 00:01:11,239 Next, prepare a practice folder. 23 00:01:11,239 --> 00:01:14,780 Unpack the reading list starter supplied with this guide, and keep its files 24 00:01:14,780 --> 00:01:19,064 together. Add or open that folder as a local project in the app. 25 00:01:19,064 --> 00:01:22,408 A local project connects the task to files on your computer. 26 00:01:22,408 --> 00:01:27,063 Check that you chose the extracted folder, rather than the ZIP package. 27 00:01:27,063 --> 00:01:30,488 Start a new task or chat inside that project. 28 00:01:30,488 --> 00:01:34,017 For this exercise, work locally in that folder. 29 00:01:34,017 --> 00:01:37,883 If a choice mentions a worktree or cloud environment, leave that for a later 30 00:01:37,883 --> 00:01:41,436 lesson. We only need one practice folder today. 31 00:01:41,467 --> 00:01:44,265 Think of three places, each with a different job. 32 00:01:44,265 --> 00:01:46,854 Your file manager helps you find the project. 33 00:01:46,854 --> 00:01:49,257 On Windows, that is File Explorer. 34 00:01:49,257 --> 00:01:53,518 On a Mac, it is Finder. Codex is where you describe the work and follow the 35 00:01:53,518 --> 00:01:57,953 conversation. The project name tells you which folder you are working with. 36 00:01:57,953 --> 00:02:00,554 The message box is where your request goes. 37 00:02:00,554 --> 00:02:03,282 Your browser is where you look at the finished page. 38 00:02:03,282 --> 00:02:07,102 It might open beside the conversation or in another window. 39 00:02:07,102 --> 00:02:10,980 For our simple starter, index dot html is the page. 40 00:02:10,980 --> 00:02:14,835 You can open it with your browser to see Weekend reading and three books. 41 00:02:14,835 --> 00:02:17,830 Viewing it on your computer does not publish it online. 42 00:02:17,830 --> 00:02:22,160 If you lose track of a window, stop and name the job: finding a file, asking 43 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,900 for a change, or looking at the result. 44 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:27,535 Then return to the place that does that job. 45 00:02:27,567 --> 00:02:31,630 Before changing anything, ask Codex to explain the project in everyday language 46 00:02:31,630 --> 00:02:34,115 and to leave the files alone. 47 00:02:34,115 --> 00:02:37,226 That first message helps you check that you opened the right folder. 48 00:02:37,226 --> 00:02:39,409 A prompt is just the message you send. 49 00:02:39,409 --> 00:02:42,660 It does not need special wording or technical vocabulary. 50 00:02:42,660 --> 00:02:45,180 When you are ready, make one clear request. 51 00:02:45,180 --> 00:02:48,395 Change the heading from Weekend reading to My reading list. 52 00:02:48,395 --> 00:02:51,135 Keep the three books and the design the same. 53 00:02:51,135 --> 00:02:55,048 Explain which file you changed and how to check the result. 54 00:02:55,048 --> 00:02:59,634 Notice the three parts: the change you want, what should stay the same, and 55 00:02:59,634 --> 00:03:02,165 what you want to check afterward. 56 00:03:02,165 --> 00:03:05,358 Send the message and read the updates while Codex works. 57 00:03:05,358 --> 00:03:08,238 You may see it reading files or running a command. 58 00:03:08,238 --> 00:03:10,432 Those updates describe its work. 59 00:03:10,432 --> 00:03:13,880 If it heads in the wrong direction, stop the task and explain the correction 60 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:15,121 in plain language. 61 00:03:15,133 --> 00:03:18,616 Keep the normal workspace protections in place while you learn. 62 00:03:18,616 --> 00:03:22,436 An approval request asks whether Codex can take a particular action. 63 00:03:22,436 --> 00:03:24,793 Read what it wants to do and why. 64 00:03:24,793 --> 00:03:29,517 If the request does not fit your task, decline it and ask for an explanation. 65 00:03:29,517 --> 00:03:33,627 Some actions inside the allowed workspace can happen without another prompt. 66 00:03:33,627 --> 00:03:36,971 An approval setting does not mean every edit waits for a click. 67 00:03:36,971 --> 00:03:39,607 When Codex finishes, read its summary. 68 00:03:39,607 --> 00:03:42,428 Ask which file changed and what it checked. 69 00:03:42,428 --> 00:03:47,118 If your project uses Git, the app can show a review pane with the changed lines. 70 00:03:47,118 --> 00:03:51,704 Git records versions of files; we are not setting it up in this orientation. 71 00:03:51,704 --> 00:03:54,433 You can still inspect the result in your browser. 72 00:03:54,433 --> 00:03:57,683 Open the same reading list page and refresh it. 73 00:03:57,683 --> 00:03:59,262 Look for My reading list. 74 00:03:59,262 --> 00:04:03,116 Check that the same three books remain and the design still looks right. 75 00:04:03,116 --> 00:04:06,123 A confident reply is not the same as a checked result. 76 00:04:06,133 --> 00:04:08,896 If the result is wrong, describe the difference. 77 00:04:08,896 --> 00:04:11,752 Say what you expected and what you actually see. 78 00:04:11,752 --> 00:04:15,351 Add the exact error message or a screenshot when that helps. 79 00:04:15,351 --> 00:04:19,983 Ask for the smallest next step instead of starting over with a much larger request. 80 00:04:19,983 --> 00:04:24,453 If you need to stop, let the task finish or use its stop control. 81 00:04:24,453 --> 00:04:28,087 Closing a conversation is not a way to undo file changes. 82 00:04:28,087 --> 00:04:32,011 Keep an untouched copy of the starter so you can practice again. 83 00:04:32,011 --> 00:04:36,516 When you come back, reopen the same project and conversation for the same task. 84 00:04:36,516 --> 00:04:39,453 Start a new conversation when you begin a different outcome. 85 00:04:39,453 --> 00:04:41,833 Before moving on, check your bearings. 86 00:04:41,833 --> 00:04:43,865 Can you identify the project folder? 87 00:04:43,865 --> 00:04:46,106 Can you describe one visible change? 88 00:04:46,106 --> 00:04:49,043 Can you open the result and judge it for yourself? 89 00:04:49,043 --> 00:04:51,191 That is a useful first session. 90 00:04:51,191 --> 00:04:54,593 You choose the goal. Codex helps with the work. 91 00:04:54,593 --> 00:04:56,613 You decide whether the result is ready.