Git will not init/sync/update new submodules

Question

Here\'s part of the contents of my .gitmodules file:

[submodule \"src/static_management\"]
        path = src/static_management
        url = gi         


        

Answer 1

git version 2.7.4. This command updates local code git submodule update --init --force --remote

Answer 2

Please check your submodules directory.

If there is only a .git file in it, then delete it.

Now execute git submodule update --remote --init

Answer 3

I had this same problem - it turned out that the .gitmodules file was committed, but the actual submodule commit (i.e. the record of the submodule's commit ID) wasn't.

Adding it manually seemed to do the trick - e.g.:

git submodule add http://github.com/sciyoshi/pyfacebook.git external/pyfacebook

(Even without removing anything from .git/config or .gitmodules.)

Then commit it to record the ID properly.

Adding some further comments to this working answer: If the git submodule init or git submodule update does'nt work, then as described above git submodule add url should do the trick. One can cross check this by

 git config --list

and one should get an entry of the submodule you want to pull in the result of the git config --list command. If there is an entry of your submodule in the config result, then now the usual git submodule update --init should pull your submodule. To test this step, you can manually rename the submodule and then updating the submodule.

 mv yourmodulename yourmodulename-temp
 git submodule update --init

To find out if you have local changes in the submodule, it can be seen via git status -u ( if you want to see changes in the submodule ) or git status --ignore-submodules ( if you dont want to see the changes in the submodule ).

Answer 4

Had the same issue, when git ignored init and update commands, and does nothing.

HOW TO FIX

1. Your submodule folder should be committed into git repo
2. It shouldn't be in .gitignore

If that requirements met, it will work. Otherwise, all commands will execute without any messages and result.

If you did all that, and it still doesn't work:

1. Add submodule manually, e.g. git submodule add git@... path/to
2. git submodule init
3. git submodule update
4. commit and push all files - .gitmodules and your module folder (note, that content of folder will not commit)
5. drop your local git repo
6. clone a new one
7. ensure that .git/config doesn't have any submodules yet
8. Now, git submodule init - and you will see a message that module registered
9. git submodule update - will fetch module
10. Now look at .git/config and you will find registered submodule

Answer 5

According to the answer from Dave James Miller I can confirm that it worked for me. The important thing here was to commit the subprojects commit ID. Just to have the entry in .gitmodules was not enough.

Here is an appropriate commit:

https://github.com/dirkaholic/vagrant-php-dev-box/commit/d5f4c40bdbd80eefbb5ac6029823733f591435ae

Answer 6

Just sharing what worked for me:

git clone --recurse-submodules <repository path>

This clones the remote repository already including the submodules. This means you won't need to run git submodule update or init after cloning.