Why does `git status` say `Changed but not updated` but `git pull` says `Already up-to-date`?

Question

Why does git status say Changed but not updated but git pull says Already up-to-date?

E.g.

$ git st
# On branch develop
# Changed but not updated:
#   (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
#   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
#
#   modified:   roles/role-A (new commits)
#
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")
[snowcrash@snow ansible-playbooks]$ git pull
Already up-to-date.

because you made changes locally, but you have nothing to pull — Alexan, Sep 28 '17 at 15:53
So, presumably, as long as I don't add/commit that file then pushing the branch should have no effect (i.e. no files get pushed to the remote). — Snowcrash, Sep 28 '17 at 15:57
after you made changes, you can stage them, commit and push, but pull just get information from remote and see that you already have these info. — Alexan, Sep 28 '17 at 15:57
A submodule is a separate Git repository. Your current Git repository records *which commit to check out* in the other (submodule) repository. That's why it changes things. — torek, Sep 28 '17 at 18:53

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 29 '17 at 20:11

A parent repo with a submodule records a gitlink (a special entry in the index of the main repo)

Since new commits have been done in the nested repo roles/role-A, git status mentions that the gitlink roles/role-A

If that same gitlink (which is a reference to a SHA1 of the sub-repo) has not changed remotely, you can do a git pull (that will update other files, but not the roles/role-A gitlink)

If nothing has changed remotely, a git pull would say "up-to-date", even if you had tons of modification/commits locally, in your main repo or in your sub-repo.

Why does `git status` say `Changed but not updated` but `git pull` says `Already up-to-date`?

1 Answers1