The GitHub Desktop equivalent of `git init` can be easy to miss

Describe the bug

The dialog that exposes git init functionality looks exactly the same as the dialog that creates a new repository in a named directory. This can make the git init functionality easy to miss by someone who is familiar with how the Create a New Repository dialog works.

When a user attempts to perform a git init, the contents of the active textbox Name isn’t actually used (only the disabled Local Path is used). This is likely to be confusing for new users because they’ll wonder what the field is used for.

Steps to reproduce the behavior

1. $ mkdir desktop-test
2. $ cd desktop-test
3. $ github
4. An Add Local Repository dialog appears with the option to create a repository
5. Click create a repository
6. Create a New Repository dialog appears with textbox Name active
7. Combination of Local Path and Name points to .../desktop-test/desktop-test

Expected behavior

• The textbox Name is disabled because its contents aren’t being used
• The combination of Local Path + Name points to the directory to be initialized
• The textbox Description is active because it’s the first field that’s actually used

For example:

(Name has been disabled and Local Path is showing the parent directory)

Actual behavior

A dialog that looks like it will create new repository in the directory .../desktop-test/desktop-test appears:

This looks the same as the normal Create a New Repository dialog, except with the Local Path disabled.

Here’s the equivalent Create a New Repository dialog:

Fix proposal

When the create a repository dialog has been displayed to git init an existing directory:

• Disable the textbox Name
• Show the parent directory in Local Path

Additional context

• Question on Community Forum https://github.community/t5/How-to-use-Git-and-GitHub/Github-desktop-and-VS-Code-folders-not-picking-up-changes/m-p/55095/highlight/true#M11619
• Equivalent of “git init” missing? https://github.com/desktop/desktop/issues/2883

[jcansdale]

@rafeca here is my proposed fix https://github.com/jcansdale/desktop/pull/1. Happy to submit it upstream if that would help.

[tidy-dev]

Similar issue - #13071, Describe the feature or problem you’d like to solve The option to add and initialize a repository from an existing folder is hidden serveral steps behind “Add local repository”. Before today I didn’t even know that an “Init Repository” dialog exists. I was using a workaround by via the “New Repository…” entry and naming the repo exactly like the existing folder.

Proposed solution Add an “Initialize local repository…” entry to the File menu.