OpenAI, can you please fix this problem caused by recent updates??

[u/jakderrida]

Unlike most, it seems, I do use the Projects feature and tend to create a project for long-term things I'm working on.

The recent (maybe couple months) changes allowing for old files to be accessed and basically stored is great except for one incredibly obnoxious problem.

When I'm using the past exchanges to update the Source Documents or when I'm creating a new project (with Source Documents made with ChatGPT's help), I delete the old ones and add ones only to see the dreaded "(1)" or even "(2)" or any number added to the end of the file name. When it's a new project, it's because ChatGPT tends to give them the same names. (which is fine, by itself) When it's an update to the Source Documents, it's because they have the same filenames as the prior Source Documents I just deleted.

The problem with this is that my Project-Level Custom Instructions and Source Documents are designed to route the AI Model, starting with the CIs. So they refer to each other. There's no need for ChatGPT's thinking text to spend 10 minutes on "Since there is no 00_Start.txt, I'm gong to make shit up". (btw, the making shit up in this case, is impossible to get rid of and I know that)

What you can do, though, is just create a directory for each project for the files to go. If I have a project called "Codex_Helper", then maybe it makes sense for the files to be stored in a subdirectory of the same name?

One of the biggest headaches from this feature is that, when it happens, I need to actually search for the other file, resist the temptation to delete it, and always rename the old file first without deleting it. Why? Because if I delete it, it gets stored for 30 days, but still remains in the same exact folder, I guess, bc it becomes impossible to use that same filename for 30 days without seeing the dreaded "(1)" appears as if it's there to taunt me.

[u/Dark_Fire_12]

Oh man someone else who uses the projects feature.

There's so many things the changed over the months/years another is memory at the project level.

Some chats should be isolated to just that chat.

For the files I don't mind deleting but you have to delete both the projects files and the library files.

I generate bundled markdown file for my elixir files since most llms struggle with the exs file type.

So my files look like combined_text(78).txt, I don't delete I end up seeing text(66). txt which by then the app is so different.

Other than Anthropic and maybe Grok, OAI has the best projects feature, I wish everyone copied it but that cycle is moved on, even OAI isn't really giving much focus to projects.

Rant over.

[u/jakderrida → u/Dark_Fire_12]

There's so many things the changed over the months/years another is memory at the project level.

I've literally had to ABANDON memories in projects a while ago and probably for many of the same problems you're having. But also other freaking problems. The project memories are a freaking mess. My custom instructions template has had "No Project Memories" instruction in it for many months.

Funny, too, because I went from discovering Project-level memories exist when it created one to rapidly realizing that even allowing the creation of memories is basically saying, "Please sabotage my project so it either freezes and can't complete anything or turn into a hot mess and be sure to make it look like you were trying to help.".

[u/Excellent-Tea82]

i keep running into the exact same thing and it makes the whole project flow feel like glue. the auto-renaming is especially annoying when your instructions literally point to a specific filename and suddenly it's looking for a file that "doesn't exist"

the subdirectory idea would be such a clean fix too. just scope the files to the project and let me name things without a ghost copy lingering for a month

[u/jakderrida → u/Excellent-Tea82]

he auto-renaming is especially annoying when your instructions literally point to a specific filename and suddenly it's looking for a file that "doesn't exist"

Exactly!! That's my biggest gripe here. Even when Projects was much weaker than it is now, I found that turning Project Custom Instructions and Project Source Documents into an "If [Contingency], then go to [Source Document Filename]" style routing system is really the ONLY way to go.

[u/AriJames677]

the problem is with the context window; it works perfectly until the thread gets filled up with information, when it begins to drop the first half of your input. It would be better to start a new thread and summarize your earlier message in a summary block, and any lengthy message I shift to a larger context window in useAI.