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I'm trying to implement a shared library as a Git submodule and I'm struggling with the best practice for pushing changes within the submodule folder. I can get it to work but it feels awkward.

This is my test repo https://github.com/rupe120/submodule-test

I setup the submodules to track a given branch but that doesn't help after a fresh clone and submodule update. I understand that the sub module reference is a gitlink but when I go into the submodule I am unable to push because the "branch" it references is not a branch but seemingly the gitlink.

I either need to checkout the tracked branch in the submodule, so I can push the changes and pull down them down in a separate clone (performing a git pull and git submodule update). The problem is that any time I want to make a change a file in the submodule folder after performing a submodule update, I need to first checkout the tracked branch to get it off of the gitlink or push using git push origin HEAD:<name-of-tracked-branch>

It seems that I should not need to specify the name of the tracked branch in my push when its already part of the configuration. Is there something I'm missing?

Josh Russo
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1 Answers1

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A git clone --recurse-submodules should clone, checkout and update both submodule to their latest commits of their respective remote trakcing branches.

But they would still be checked out at a SHA1, not in a branch.

You would need a foreach command to check their branch:

git submodule foreach -q --recursive 'git switch $(git config -f $toplevel/.gitmodules submodule.$name.branch || echo main)'

multiple lines:

git submodule foreach -q --recursive \
  'git switch \
  $(git config -f $toplevel/.gitmodules submodule.$name.branch || echo main)'

The OP Josh Russo points out in the comments to this gist:

git pull
git submodule update --init --remote
git submodule foreach  -q --recursive 'git switch $(git config -f $toplevel/.gitmodules submodule $name.branch || echo main)'
git submodule foreach  -q --recursive 'git pull'
VonC
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  • Ok, so what I really want seems to be something like this https://gist.github.com/rupe120/92200f38b92dd85721378b9a03707f77 – Josh Russo Oct 08 '21 at 10:35
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    @JoshRusso Yes, that should work. I have included your comment in the answer for more visibility. – VonC Oct 08 '21 at 11:08
  • the paste of the code seems to have added some stray spaces that will cause it to fail on the last line between the hyphens and the switches – Josh Russo Oct 08 '21 at 11:52
  • @JoshRusso Thank you. I have edited the answer (as I could: I am on my phone) – VonC Oct 08 '21 at 12:04