If I have a project that contains a number of submodules, and I switch to a new branch, from the parent directory, will it include those submodules in my new branch? How will they be affected?
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A submodule is a SHA1 entry recorded in the index as a special entry 160000.
When you change branches, your index will reflect the SHA1 of those same submodules are recorded in that new branch.
A git submodule update --init --recursive will update said submodules.
That means you can have different version of the same submodule, as referenced by different branches.
Remmeber:
- Whatever branch you chose in the parent repo, the submodules are always in a detached HEAD mode (unless you go in a submodule, and checkout a branch there)
- You need to configure a submodule a certain way (see "
git submoduletracking latest") in order for it to follow its own upstream branch (you can convert an existing submodule to that mode).
And you would need to make asubmodule update --remotefrom the parent repo in order to trigger a fetch from the submodule configured to follow a branch.
