Nested (recursive) submodules in Git

Git submodules

Git submodules are the way to implement dependencies between projects.

Let's say you have a common libray 'mylib' shared between apps 'myapp1' and 'myapp2' then you will keep only 3 repositories (1 for each of them).

Both 'myapp1' and 'myapp2' will have 'mylib' declared as a submodule, which is cloned from / pushed to its own repository. And the repository of each parent app will only keep a reference to the commit to use from the submodule repository.

Nested Git submodules

Extending the same principle, 'mylib' could as well be dependant on 'somebaselib', declared as a submodule and hosted elsewhere.

There's plenty of documentation about how to clone or update such repositories (once they exist), using

   git clone ... --recursive
   git submodule update --recursive

But how to build one of those is not so intuitive.

Adding nested submodules: the problem

You may have used this procedure to add a submodule into the 'mylib' repository:

   cd ~/mylib
   git submodule add git@someurl/somebaselib baselib   

As the baselib folder does not exist, the previous command does a clone of the specified repository into that folder, and then adds it as a submodule.
You may think the same would to add the nested submodules to the superproject:

   cd ~/myapp
   git submodule add git@someurl/mylib lib

but unfortunatelly this does not work... because the cloning fails.

Adding nested submodules: the solution

The workaround is to manually clone the nested submodules into the subfolder with the --recursive option, before doing the 'submodule add'

   cd ~/myapp
   git clone git@someurl/mylib lib --recursive
   git submodule add git@someurl/mylib lib

Now, as the lib folder does exist, the 'submodule add' command does not try to clone it and just adds it as a submodule. You are all set!