Gitlab API could generate access token for current user (logged in to API)
Problem to solve
To request a personal access token (to use as a password during push/pull with HTTPS) the user must log in to the web interface. Why not allow them to fetch one using the API? We can fetch a website access token there (e.g. using oauth) that allows them to create new projects, but we don't allow them a token that would permit push/pull to a project.
Further details
In creating a simple GUI for my (technophobe) users to sync projects with gitlab I can use the API to let them create a user, log in to gitlab (with oauth2) create projects, search, fork etc. BUT when they then want to sync a project locally using git push/pull I can't provide a token/password for that. I have to send them to terminal and get them to do it once so that their details are cached with git credentials (osx keychain). My users don't want to have to do that. A lot of them don't know there is a terminal!
It's possible this is only a mac issue? I think a windows machine with SSH keys set up, windows doesn't ever ask for a password but sadly a Mac does
Proposal
The API allows me to create SSH keys, and GPG keys, and as an admin user I can create impersonation tokens. Please could we have something similar that returns a new Personal Access Token as on the web interface?
What does success look like, and how can we measure that?
I'd be able to push/pull using HTTPS without ever needing to use the terminal