Git Submodules allow you to embed a Git repository into another Git repository as a subdirectory. This is useful when you have a project that depends on a library or external component. Here is a basic guide on how to use Git Submodules:
Add Submodule
To add a Submodule to the current repository, navigate to the root directory of the repository and run the following command:
git submodule add <URL_repository> <destination_path>
where <URL_repository> is the URL of the repository you want to embed, and <destination_path> is the path to the subdirectory in the current repository to store the Submodule.
Clone Submodule
Once you have added a Submodule to the repository, you need to clone it into the existing repository. To clone the Submodule, run the following commands:
git submodule init
git submodule update
The git submodule init command initializes the Submodule and creates a link to the repository containing the Submodule. The git submodule update command downloads the source code of the Submodule and updates it into the corresponding subdirectory
.
Working with Submodule
Once the Submodule is cloned into the repository, you can work with it as an independent Git repository. You can checkout branches, make commits, and push within the Submodule.
To update the Submodule in the existing repository, run the command:
git submodule update --remote
This command downloads the latest changes from the Submodule repository and updates it in the corresponding subdirectory.
Remove Submodule
If you no longer need the Submodule, you can remove it by running the following commands:
git submodule deinit <submodule_name>
git rm <submodule_path>
Replace <submodule_name> with the name of the Submodule and <submodule_path> with the path to the subdirectory containing the Submodule. Then, you need to commit and push this change.
Git Submodules help you manage dependencies and integrate subrepositories into your main project easily. It allows you to maintain separate source code for the Submodule and easily update it when needed.