Re: git-status for submodules

[Johan Herland <johan@herland.net>]

On Friday 21 November 2008, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> Chris Frey <cdfrey@foursquare.net> writes:
> > I'm using git 1.6.0.4 and trying to make submodules work for me. 
> > The init/add/update steps are a bit tedious, but workable.  The
> > problem I have is when I make a change in a submodule, then
> > git-status does not show the change.
>
> My understanding is that this is exactly by design.  The supermodule
> tracks which commit in the subproject is bound to the tree location.
>
> A mere act of changing something in the subproject directory is just
> a single, incomplete step to create a new commit in the subproject
> and will
>
> not be seen by the superproject's status.  Instead of this workflow:
> > 	cd super
> > 	vi newsuper
> > 	vi existing_file
> > 	cd sub
> > 	vi newsub
> > 	cd ..
> > 	git status
>
> the submodule support is geared toward supporting this layout:
>
> 	- "super" has a subproject X at "sub"
>
>         - When you do a real work on the subproject X, you do so as
> if there is no supermodule.  IOW, subproject X has to be able to
> stand on its own.

Chris' workflow is farily easily supported by running git-status within 
each submodule, like this:

git submodule foreach "git status; true"

If the above is too cumbersome to type, one can easily wrap an alias 
around it:

git config alias.substatus 'submodule foreach "git status; true"'
git substatus


Have fun! :)

...Johan

-- 
Johan Herland, <johan@herland.net>
www.herland.net