diff --git a/checkReady.go b/checkReady.go
index b51ba48..270d836 100644
--- a/checkReady.go
+++ b/checkReady.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func CheckReady() bool {
 		log.Info("find the next repo first")
 		return false
 	}
-	goSumS := release.current.Status.GetGoSumStatus()
+	goSumS := release.current.GoState()
 	dirtyS := release.current.State()
 	lastS := release.current.Status.GetLastTagVersion()
 	currentS := release.current.Status.GetCurrentBranchVersion()
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func CheckReady() bool {
 	}
 	if goSumS == "PRIMATIVE" {
 		if targetS == lastS {
-			release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("RELEASED")
+			release.current.SetGoState("RELEASED")
 		}
 		return true
 	}
@@ -53,15 +53,15 @@ func CheckReady() bool {
 	}
 	if goSumS == "READY" {
 		if targetS == lastS {
-			release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("RELEASED")
+			release.current.SetGoState("RELEASED")
 			return true
 		}
 		if lastS == currentS {
-			release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("UNRELEASED")
+			release.current.SetGoState("UNRELEASED")
 		}
 		return true
 	}
-	release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("NOT READY")
+	release.current.SetGoState("NOT READY")
 	if release.current.Status.ReadOnly() {
 		log.Info("\trepo is read only")
 		return false
@@ -69,12 +69,12 @@ func CheckReady() bool {
 
 	if targetS == lastS {
 		log.Info("\trepo is already done", lastS, "=", targetS)
-		release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("READY")
+		release.current.SetGoState("READY")
 		return true
 	}
 	if lastS == currentS {
 		log.Info("\trepo is already done", lastS, "=", targetS)
-		release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("READY")
+		release.current.SetGoState("READY")
 		return true
 	}
 
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ func CheckReady() bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("READY")
+	release.current.SetGoState("READY")
 	return true
 }
 
diff --git a/doRelease.go b/doRelease.go
index 64679ec..c51f9c2 100644
--- a/doRelease.go
+++ b/doRelease.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ func doRelease() bool {
 		log.Warn("version does not start with v.", release.version.String())
 		return false
 	}
-	switch release.current.Status.GetGoSumStatus() {
+	switch release.current.GoState() {
 	case "PRIMATIVE":
 		log.Warn("can do PRIMATIVE", release.current.Name())
 	case "GOOD":
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ func doRelease() bool {
 	}
 
 	log.Info("PUBLISH OK")
-	release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("RELEASED")
+	release.current.SetGoState("RELEASED")
 
 	// unwind and re-tag. Now that the go.mod and go.sum are published, revert
 	// to the development branch
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ func doPublishVersion() bool {
 	if err == nil {
 		log.Info("SELF UPDATE OK. out =", out)
 		log.Info("SELF UPDATE WORKED")
-		release.current.Status.SetGoSumStatus("RELEASED")
+		release.current.SetGoState("RELEASED")
 		return true
 	}
 	return false
diff --git a/globalDisplayOptions.go b/globalDisplayOptions.go
index 6bf9cdb..d29f35f 100644
--- a/globalDisplayOptions.go
+++ b/globalDisplayOptions.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func showHideRepos() {
 			}
 		}
 		if me.autoReleased.Checked() {
-			if repo.Status.GetGoSumStatus() == "RELEASED" {
+			if repo.GoState() == "RELEASED" {
 				repo.Hide()
 				continue
 			}
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func globalDisplayOptions(box *gui.Node) {
 	me.autoReleased.Custom = func() {
 		if me.autoReleased.Checked() {
 			for _, repo := range me.repos.View.AllRepos() {
-				if repo.Status.GetGoSumStatus() == "RELEASED" {
+				if repo.GoState() == "RELEASED" {
 					repo.Hide()
 				}
 			}
@@ -227,6 +227,14 @@ func globalDisplayOptions(box *gui.Node) {
 		log.Info("All repos seem okay")
 	})
 
+	group1.NewButton("initialize all the repos", func() {
+		setRepoState()
+	})
+
+	group1.NewButton("scanForReady()", func() {
+		scanForReady()
+	})
+
 	group2 := vbox.NewGroup("Debugger")
 	group2.NewButton("logging Window", func() {
 		logsettings.LogWindow()
diff --git a/lookForUnwind.go b/lookForUnwind.go
index 3387921..cb54d87 100644
--- a/lookForUnwind.go
+++ b/lookForUnwind.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func lookToUnwind(r *repolist.Repo) bool {
-	goSumS := r.Status.GetGoSumStatus()
+	goSumS := r.GoState()
 	dirtyS := r.State()
 	currentS := r.Status.GetCurrentBranchVersion()
 	log.Info("repo:", r.Name(), goSumS, dirtyS, r.State(), currentS)
@@ -21,19 +21,19 @@ func lookToUnwind(r *repolist.Repo) bool {
 		log.Info("\trepo is ready working from main branch", curName, "=", mName)
 	} else {
 		log.Info("\trepo is not ready main branch", curName, "!=", mName)
-		r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("CAN NOT UNWIND")
+		r.SetGoState("CAN NOT UNWIND")
 		return false
 	}
 
 	if r.LastTag() != currentS {
 		log.Info("\trepo version mismatch last vs current", r.LastTag(), "!=", currentS)
-		r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("CAN NOT UNWIND")
+		r.SetGoState("CAN NOT UNWIND")
 		return false
 	}
 
 	if release.version.String() != r.LastTag() {
 		log.Info("\trepo version mismatch last vs official", r.LastTag(), "!=", release.version.String())
-		r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("CAN NOT UNWIND")
+		r.SetGoState("CAN NOT UNWIND")
 		return false
 	}
 
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func lookToUnwind(r *repolist.Repo) bool {
 	testf := filepath.Join(fullpath, "go.mod")
 	if Exists(testf) {
 		log.Info("\trepo is ready. go.mod exists")
-		r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("UNWIND")
+		r.SetGoState("UNWIND")
 		return true
 	}
 
@@ -49,10 +49,10 @@ func lookToUnwind(r *repolist.Repo) bool {
 	testf = filepath.Join(fullpath, "go.sum")
 	if Exists(testf) {
 		log.Info("\trepo is ready. go.sum exists")
-		r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("UNWIND")
+		r.SetGoState("UNWIND")
 		return true
 	}
 
-	r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("NO UNWIND?")
+	r.SetGoState("NO UNWIND?")
 	return false
 }
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index f1d6d98..3c98bb3 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -66,8 +66,58 @@ func main() {
 	// save the ENV var here
 	me.releaseReasonS = releaseReasonS
 
-	me.repos = makeRepoView()
+	log.Info("Creating the Release Window")
 
+	// scan in the repo map first
+	// hopefully this is the list of all the golang packages and only the GUI golang packages
+	me.repos = makeRepoView()
+	log.Sleep(3)
+
+	// create the right side of the main window
+	createReleaseBox(me.mainBox)
+
+	// disable the open repo button. this isn't really important
+	// but does indicates the app (and toolkit) is working
+	// this can be removed later, but in these early days, I'm using this
+	// tool to release the code for this app, the gui and the gui toolkits
+	// and sometimes they lie, don't display stuff, don't even disable things
+	// so I can't trust even what I see. It's complicated right now still.
+	release.openrepo.Disable()
+
+	// parse config file and scan for .git repos
+	me.repos.initRepoList()
+
+	// reads in the State of all the repos
+	// TODO: should not really be necessary directly after init()
+	me.repos.View.ScanRepositories()
+
+	me.Enable()
+
+	// intermittently scans the status indefinitly
+	me.repos.View.Watchdog(func() {
+		log.Info("In main()")
+		// processing is done. update the repo summary box
+		// me.summary.Update()
+	})
+}
+
+func setRepoState() {
+	// start the initail scan and make sure each repo is set
+	// to the master branch
+	for _, repo := range me.repos.View.AllRepos() {
+		if repo.ReadOnly() {
+			continue
+		}
+		if whitelist(repo.GoPath()) {
+			continue
+		}
+		if repo.Status.CheckoutMaster() {
+			log.Warn("git checkout master branch worked", repo.Name())
+		} else {
+			log.Warn("git checkout master branch failed", repo.Name())
+		}
+		repo.NewScan()
+	}
 	// go through and set the target versions for each repo
 	// todo: add sanity checking in repolist to verify these and/or autocompute them
 	// for now, just don't be stupid when you set your ENV vars
@@ -98,57 +148,7 @@ func main() {
 			repo.Status.SetTargetVersion(lasttag)
 		}
 	}
-	log.Info("Creating the Release Window")
-
-	// create the right side of the main window
-	createReleaseBox(me.mainBox)
-
-
-	// start the initail scan and make sure each repo is set
-	// to the master branch
 	for _, repo := range me.repos.View.AllRepos() {
-		if repo.ReadOnly() {
-			continue
-		}
-		if whitelist(repo.GoPath()) {
-			continue
-		}
-		if repo.Status.CheckoutMaster() {
-			log.Warn("git checkout master branch worked", repo.Name())
-			repo.Status.UpdateNew()
-		} else {
-			repo.Status.UpdateNew()
-			log.Warn("git checkout master branch failed", repo.Name())
-		}
+		repo.NewScan()
 	}
-
-	// disable the open repo button. this isn't really important
-	// but does indicates the app (and toolkit) is working
-	// this can be removed later, but in these early days, I'm using this
-	// tool to release the code for this app, the gui and the gui toolkits
-	// and sometimes they lie, don't display stuff, don't even disable things
-	// so I can't trust even what I see. It's complicated right now still.
-	release.openrepo.Disable()
-
-	// I don't know what this is autotypist thing?
-	// globalResetOptions(me.mainbox)
-
-	// hopefully this is the list of all the golang packages and only the GUI golang packages
-	me.repos = makeRepoView()
-
-	// parse config file and scan for .git repos
-	me.repos.initRepoList()
-
-	// reads in the State of all the repos
-	// TODO: should not really be necessary directly after init()
-	me.repos.View.ScanRepositories()
-
-	me.Enable()
-
-	// intermittently scans the status indefinitly
-	me.repos.View.Watchdog(func() {
-		log.Info("In main()")
-		// processing is done. update the repo summary box
-		// me.summary.Update()
-	})
 }
diff --git a/releaseBox.go b/releaseBox.go
index 27581b5..1d5fcf9 100644
--- a/releaseBox.go
+++ b/releaseBox.go
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ func scanForReady() bool {
 
 		if whitelist(repo.GoPath()) {
 			log.Info("found WHITELIST", repo.GoPath())
-			repo.Status.SetGoSumStatus("WHITELIST")
+			repo.SetGoState("WHITELIST")
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ func scanForReady() bool {
 // todo: redo this logic as it is terrible
 func findNextDirty(onlyKind string) bool {
 	for _, repo := range me.repos.View.AllRepos() {
-		goSumS := repo.Status.GetGoSumStatus()
+		goSumS := repo.GoState()
 		// dirtyS := repo.State()
 
 		log.Info("findNextDirty()", repo.GoPath(), goSumS)
diff --git a/scanGoSum.go b/scanGoSum.go
index 55890ec..5b1fe97 100644
--- a/scanGoSum.go
+++ b/scanGoSum.go
@@ -6,25 +6,14 @@ import (
 	"go.wit.com/log"
 )
 
-/*
-func getGoSumStatus(r *repolist.Repo) string {
-	return r.Status.GoSumStatus.String()
-}
-
-func setGoSumStatus(r *repolist.Repo, s string) {
-	r.goSumStatus.SetLabel(s)
-	r.status.SetGoSumStatus(s)
-}
-*/
-
 func checkSafeGoSumRemake(r *repolist.Repo) {
 	if ok, bad := r.Status.CheckSafeGoSumRemake(); ok {
 		log.Info("checkSafeGoSumRemake() is safe to redo")
-		r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("SAFE")
+		r.SetGoState("SAFE")
 		r.Status.MakeRedomod()
 	} else {
 		log.Info("checkSafeGoSumRemake() is not safe. problems:", bad)
-		r.Status.SetGoSumStatus("BAD DEP")
+		r.SetGoState("BAD DEP")
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/whitelist.go b/whitelist.go
index 665c7ef..53df187 100644
--- a/whitelist.go
+++ b/whitelist.go
@@ -13,12 +13,15 @@ func initWhitelist() {
 		if strings.HasPrefix(repo.GoPath(), "go.wit.com/dev/davecgh") {
 			release.whitelist[repo.GoPath()] = repo
 		}
-		// if repo.String() == "go.wit.com/apps/guireleaser" {
-		// 	release.whitelist[repo.String()] = repo
-		// }
-		// if repo.String() == "go.wit.com/lib/gui/repostatus" {
-		// 	release.whitelist[repo.String()] = repo
-		// }
+		//
+		//	if repo.String() == "go.wit.com/apps/guireleaser" {
+		//		release.whitelist[repo.String()] = repo
+		//	}
+		//
+		//	if repo.String() == "go.wit.com/lib/gui/repostatus" {
+		//		release.whitelist[repo.String()] = repo
+		//	}
+		//
 	}
 }