I am having trouble with git 2.33.1 checking out the wrong branch for
submodules for which the default branch has changed. `git submodule
update --remote` seems to remember the branch name to retrieve, while
I expect it to use the remote HEAD every time. This causes unexpected
behaviour when the remote HEAD starts pointing to another branch.
I create a new git project and add a submodule, with `git submodule
add git@host:foo/testproject.git`.
This checks out the default branch, `master` in this case. `git remote
show origin` also shows that `master` is the HEAD branch. Running `git
submodule update --remote` updates the submodule to the latest master.
Now I change the default branch on the remote (using Gitlab's web
interface) to `newmaster`.
`git remote show origin` now correctly shows `newmaster` as the
remote's HEAD branch. However, running `git submodule update --remote`
still updates the submodule to the latest `master` branch, while I
expect it to update to the lastest `newmaster` branch.
There's no branch specified in .gitmodules or .git/config. I am not
sure how git remembers the branch. When switching `testproject` to
`newmaster` manually and then running `git submodule update --remote`,
it is reset to `master` again.
Is this a bug? Can I change the branch somehow?
Regards,
Sjoerd Langkemper
On Fri, Oct 15, 2021 at 1:35 AM Sjoerd Langkemper
[off-list ref] wrote:
I am having trouble with git 2.33.1 checking out the wrong branch for
submodules for which the default branch has changed. `git submodule
update --remote` seems to remember the branch name to retrieve, while
I expect it to use the remote HEAD every time. This causes unexpected
behaviour when the remote HEAD starts pointing to another branch.
I create a new git project and add a submodule, with `git submodule
add git@host:foo/testproject.git`.
This checks out the default branch, `master` in this case. `git remote
show origin` also shows that `master` is the HEAD branch. Running `git
submodule update --remote` updates the submodule to the latest master.
Now I change the default branch on the remote (using Gitlab's web
interface) to `newmaster`.
`git remote show origin` now correctly shows `newmaster` as the
remote's HEAD branch. However, running `git submodule update --remote`
still updates the submodule to the latest `master` branch, while I
expect it to update to the lastest `newmaster` branch.
I suspect this is going to be the same answer I gave on the last
thread about submodules[1]. Submodules in Git store the _commit ID_
they point to in the tree, but they do not store a _ref name_, nor do
they have some indicator for "It was the default branch". They choose
a ref by (essentially) looping over the refs from the remote (which
are always sent in alphabetical order) and choosing the first one with
a matching SHA. If your "newmaster" is alphabetically after "master",
and "master" still exists, and both refs point to the same commit (or
only "master" points to it), I suspect your submodule is going to
choose that.
[1] https://lore.kernel.org/git/CAGyf7-FAHJOb6iQYqYNt0WSk+zUHUJ_FjrU1xis1bBQd9Z6KPQ@mail.gmail.com/
There's no branch specified in .gitmodules or .git/config. I am not
sure how git remembers the branch. When switching `testproject` to
`newmaster` manually and then running `git submodule update --remote`,
it is reset to `master` again.
Is this a bug? Can I change the branch somehow?
If you updated the submodule to reference a commit that was on
"newmaster" and not present on "master", I think it'd change.
Regards,
Sjoerd Langkemper
The submodule is updated according to where `origin/HEAD` points. The
`origin/HEAD` ref of a repository is not automatically updated when
the upstream default branch changes. However, this can be forced with
`git remote set-head origin -a`.
I think it is a little bit surprising that `origin/HEAD` does not
necessarily point to the remote default branch. However, changing the
default branch should be pretty rare, so I understand this is not
checked every time.
Regards,
Sjoerd Langkemper
On Fri, Oct 15, 2021 at 10:34 AM Sjoerd Langkemper
[off-list ref] wrote:
I am having trouble with git 2.33.1 checking out the wrong branch for
submodules for which the default branch has changed. `git submodule
update --remote` seems to remember the branch name to retrieve, while
I expect it to use the remote HEAD every time. This causes unexpected
behaviour when the remote HEAD starts pointing to another branch.
I create a new git project and add a submodule, with `git submodule
add git@host:foo/testproject.git`.
This checks out the default branch, `master` in this case. `git remote
show origin` also shows that `master` is the HEAD branch. Running `git
submodule update --remote` updates the submodule to the latest master.
Now I change the default branch on the remote (using Gitlab's web
interface) to `newmaster`.
`git remote show origin` now correctly shows `newmaster` as the
remote's HEAD branch. However, running `git submodule update --remote`
still updates the submodule to the latest `master` branch, while I
expect it to update to the lastest `newmaster` branch.
There's no branch specified in .gitmodules or .git/config. I am not
sure how git remembers the branch. When switching `testproject` to
`newmaster` manually and then running `git submodule update --remote`,
it is reset to `master` again.
Is this a bug? Can I change the branch somehow?
Regards,
Sjoerd Langkemper