Update a submodule

Introduction §

Updating a submodule is essential when you want to track the latest changes or a specific commit from the submodule’s repository. This process involves fetching the latest changes and updating your working copy to point to a new commit within the submodule.

Lazygit §

Step 1: Open Lazygit in Your Main Repository §

• Start Lazygit within the main Git repository that contains the submodule.

Step 2: Navigate to the Submodule §

• In Lazygit, go to the section where submodules are listed.

Step 3: Update the Submodule §

• Select the submodule you wish to update.
• Use the designated command or key binding in Lazygit to update the submodule. This typically involves fetching the latest changes from the remote and checking out the desired commit.

Step 4: Commit the Submodule Update §

• After updating the submodule, a new commit hash will be checked out.
• Commit these changes in your main repository to track the updated state of the submodule.

Basic Terminal: Updating a Submodule §

Step 1: Navigate to Your Main Repository §

• Open a terminal and change directories to the root of your main Git repository.

Step 2: Update the Submodule §

• Use the following commands to update your submodule:

  git submodule update --init --recursive

  • --init initializes the submodule if it hasn’t been initialized already.
  • --recursive ensures that any submodules within the submodule are also updated.

Step 3: Fetch and Checkout a Specific Commit (Optional) §

• If you want to update the submodule to a specific commit:

  • First, navigate to the submodule directory:

    cd path/to/submodule

  • Fetch the latest changes and checkout the specific commit:

    git fetch
    git checkout <specific-commit-hash>

  • Return to the root of your main repository:

    cd -

Step 4: Commit the Changes in the Main Repository §

• Stage and commit the changes to record the updated state of the submodule in your main repository:

  git add path/to/submodule
  git commit -m "Updated submodule to <specific-commit-hash>"

Conclusion §

Updating a submodule is a critical step in maintaining the integrity and currency of your project dependencies. Whether using Lazygit for a more intuitive interface or standard terminal commands for direct control, it’s important to regularly update your submodules and commit these changes to track the evolution of your project accurately.