Can git submodules have a custom root?

Question

I currently have two projects, a framework and an application. The repository for the framework contains a number of directories that are not useful in the application. I'd like to be able to configure git submodule to only copy the directories I want from my framework repository to the root of my application directory.

Here's what my project directories look like:

Framework

• /
  • red-locomotive/ - the framework i want to use
  • modules/ - a directory with extra modules
  • lib/ - libraries that the engine depends on
  • examples/ - some tests
  • readme.md etc...

Application

• /
  • red-locomotive/ - from framework
  • modules/ - from framework
  • lib/ - from framework
  • kernel.js etc...

You can see that I want the three directories from the framework repository in the root of my application. can git submodules do this?

Answer 1

Nope. The submodule will clone the entire repository that it points to. Also you cannot delete any folders from a submodule so there is no way to modify it after including it.

Where I work we have found modules to be quite a pain. Every time you redeployment ( depending on your method) you have to go over every submodule and re initial / add it. We tried to use it for our open source additions like tinymce and tcpdf but pitched that method.

Answer 2

While you can not add arbitrary directories from the framework repository in the root directly, you could make the framework a submodule and use a sparse checkout to only get those parts that you need in your working tree (probably combined with shallow cloning of the submodule).

Answer 3

You can do it, but every individual shared folder has to be its own separate submodule. Assuming there are no files at the root level that need to be shared.