Merge branch 'sb/submodule-doc'

Doc update.

* sb/submodule-doc:
  submodules: overhaul documentation

Documentation/Makefile

@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ MAN7_TXT += giteveryday.txt
 MAN7_TXT += gitglossary.txt
 MAN7_TXT += gitnamespaces.txt
 MAN7_TXT += gitrevisions.txt
+MAN7_TXT += gitsubmodules.txt
 MAN7_TXT += gittutorial-2.txt
 MAN7_TXT += gittutorial.txt
 MAN7_TXT += gitworkflows.txt

Documentation/git-rm.txt

@@ -153,8 +153,8 @@ Ignored files are deemed expendable and won't stop a submodule's work
 tree from being removed.
 
 If you only want to remove the local checkout of a submodule from your
-work tree without committing the removal,
+work tree without committing the removal, use linkgit:git-submodule[1] `deinit`
-use linkgit:git-submodule[1] `deinit` instead.
+instead. Also see linkgit:gitsubmodules[7] for details on submodule removal.
 
 EXAMPLES
 --------

Documentation/git-submodule.txt

@@ -24,37 +24,7 @@ DESCRIPTION
 -----------
 Inspects, updates and manages submodules.
 
-A submodule allows you to keep another Git repository in a subdirectory
+For more information about submodules, see linkgit:gitsubmodules[7].
-of your repository. The other repository has its own history, which does not
-interfere with the history of the current repository. This can be used to
-have external dependencies such as third party libraries for example.
-
-When cloning or pulling a repository containing submodules however,
-these will not be checked out by default; the 'init' and 'update'
-subcommands will maintain submodules checked out and at
-appropriate revision in your working tree.
-
-Submodules are composed from a so-called `gitlink` tree entry
-in the main repository that refers to a particular commit object
-within the inner repository that is completely separate.
-A record in the `.gitmodules` (see linkgit:gitmodules[5]) file at the
-root of the source tree assigns a logical name to the submodule and
-describes the default URL the submodule shall be cloned from.
-The logical name can be used for overriding this URL within your
-local repository configuration (see 'submodule init').
-
-Submodules are not to be confused with remotes, which are other
-repositories of the same project; submodules are meant for
-different projects you would like to make part of your source tree,
-while the history of the two projects still stays completely
-independent and you cannot modify the contents of the submodule
-from within the main project.
-If you want to merge the project histories and want to treat the
-aggregated whole as a single project from then on, you may want to
-add a remote for the other project and use the 'subtree' merge strategy,
-instead of treating the other project as a submodule. Directories
-that come from both projects can be cloned and checked out as a whole
-if you choose to go that route.
 
 COMMANDS
 --------
@@ -142,15 +112,17 @@ deinit [-f|--force] (--all|[--] <path>...)::
 	tree. Further calls to `git submodule update`, `git submodule foreach`
 	and `git submodule sync` will skip any unregistered submodules until
 	they are initialized again, so use this command if you don't want to
-	have a local checkout of the submodule in your working tree anymore. If
+	have a local checkout of the submodule in your working tree anymore.
-	you really want to remove a submodule from the repository and commit
-	that use linkgit:git-rm[1] instead.
 +
 When the command is run without pathspec, it errors out,
 instead of deinit-ing everything, to prevent mistakes.
 +
 If `--force` is specified, the submodule's working tree will
 be removed even if it contains local modifications.
++
+If you really want to remove a submodule from the repository and commit
+that use linkgit:git-rm[1] instead. See linkgit:gitsubmodules[7] for removal
+options.
 
 update [--init] [--remote] [-N|--no-fetch] [--[no-]recommend-shallow] [-f|--force] [--checkout|--rebase|--merge] [--reference <repository>] [--depth <depth>] [--recursive] [--jobs <n>] [--] [<path>...]::
 +
@@ -428,6 +400,10 @@ This file should be formatted in the same way as `$GIT_DIR/config`. The key
 to each submodule url is "submodule.$name.url".  See linkgit:gitmodules[5]
 for details.
 
+SEE ALSO
+--------
+linkgit:gitsubmodules[7], linkgit:gitmodules[5].
+
 GIT
 ---
 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite

Documentation/gitsubmodules.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,221 @@
+gitsubmodules(7)
+================
+
+NAME
+----
+gitsubmodules - mounting one repository inside another
+
+SYNOPSIS
+--------
+ .gitmodules, $GIT_DIR/config
+------------------
+git submodule
+git <command> --recurse-submodules
+------------------
+
+DESCRIPTION
+-----------
+
+A submodule is a repository embedded inside another repository.
+The submodule has its own history; the repository it is embedded
+in is called a superproject.
+
+On the filesystem, a submodule usually (but not always - see FORMS below)
+consists of (i) a Git directory located under the `$GIT_DIR/modules/`
+directory of its superproject, (ii) a working directory inside the
+superproject's working directory, and a `.git` file at the root of
+the submodule’s working directory pointing to (i).
+
+Assuming the submodule has a Git directory at `$GIT_DIR/modules/foo/`
+and a working directory at `path/to/bar/`, the superproject tracks the
+submodule via a `gitlink` entry in the tree at `path/to/bar` and an entry
+in its `.gitmodules` file (see linkgit:gitmodules[5]) of the form
+`submodule.foo.path = path/to/bar`.
+
+The `gitlink` entry contains the object name of the commit that the
+superproject expects the submodule’s working directory to be at.
+
+The section `submodule.foo.*` in the `.gitmodules` file gives additional
+hints to Gits porcelain layer such as where to obtain the submodule via
+the `submodule.foo.url` setting.
+
+Submodules can be used for at least two different use cases:
+
+1. Using another project while maintaining independent history.
+  Submodules allow you to contain the working tree of another project
+  within your own working tree while keeping the history of both
+  projects separate. Also, since submodules are fixed to an arbitrary
+  version, the other project can be independently developed without
+  affecting the superproject, allowing the superproject project to
+  fix itself to new versions only when desired.
+
+2. Splitting a (logically single) project into multiple
+   repositories and tying them back together. This can be used to
+   overcome current limitations of Gits implementation to have
+   finer grained access:
+
+    * Size of the git repository:
+      In its current form Git scales up poorly for large repositories containing
+      content that is not compressed by delta computation between trees.
+      However you can also use submodules to e.g. hold large binary assets
+      and these repositories are then shallowly cloned such that you do not
+      have a large history locally.
+    * Transfer size:
+      In its current form Git requires the whole working tree present. It
+      does not allow partial trees to be transferred in fetch or clone.
+    * Access control:
+      By restricting user access to submodules, this can be used to implement
+      read/write policies for different users.
+
+The configuration of submodules
+-------------------------------
+
+Submodule operations can be configured using the following mechanisms
+(from highest to lowest precedence):
+
+ * The command line for those commands that support taking submodule specs.
+   Most commands have a boolean flag '--recurse-submodules' whether to
+   recurse into submodules. Examples are `ls-files` or `checkout`.
+   Some commands take enums, such as `fetch` and `push`, where you can
+   specify how submodules are affected.
+
+ * The configuration inside the submodule. This includes `$GIT_DIR/config`
+   in the submodule, but also settings in the tree such as a `.gitattributes`
+   or `.gitignore` files that specify behavior of commands inside the
+   submodule.
++
+For example an effect from the submodule's `.gitignore` file
+would be observed when you run `git status --ignore-submodules=none` in
+the superproject. This collects information from the submodule's working
+directory by running `status` in the submodule, which does pay attention
+to its `.gitignore` file.
++
+The submodule's `$GIT_DIR/config` file would come into play when running
+`git push --recurse-submodules=check` in the superproject, as this would
+check if the submodule has any changes not published to any remote. The
+remotes are configured in the submodule as usual in the `$GIT_DIR/config`
+file.
+
+ * The configuration file `$GIT_DIR/config` in the superproject.
+   Typical configuration at this place is controlling if a submodule
+   is recursed into at all via the `active` flag for example.
++
+If the submodule is not yet initialized, then the configuration
+inside the submodule does not exist yet, so configuration where to
+obtain the submodule from is configured here for example.
+
+ * the `.gitmodules` file inside the superproject. Additionally to the
+   required mapping between submodule's name and path, a project usually
+   uses this file to suggest defaults for the upstream collection
+   of repositories.
++
+This file mainly serves as the mapping between name and path in
+the superproject, such that the submodule's git directory can be
+located.
++
+If the submodule has never been initialized, this is the only place
+where submodule configuration is found. It serves as the last fallback
+to specify where to obtain the submodule from.
+
+FORMS
+-----
+
+Submodules can take the following forms:
+
+ * The basic form described in DESCRIPTION with a Git directory,
+a working directory, a `gitlink`, and a `.gitmodules` entry.
+
+ * "Old-form" submodule: A working directory with an embedded
+`.git` directory, and the tracking `gitlink` and `.gitmodules` entry in
+the superproject. This is typically found in repositories generated
+using older versions of Git.
++
+It is possible to construct these old form repositories manually.
++
+When deinitialized or deleted (see below), the submodule’s Git
+directory is automatically moved to `$GIT_DIR/modules/<name>/`
+of the superproject.
+
+ * Deinitialized submodule: A `gitlink`, and a `.gitmodules` entry,
+but no submodule working directory. The submodule’s git directory
+may be there as after deinitializing the git directory is kept around.
+The directory which is supposed to be the working directory is empty instead.
++
+A submodule can be deinitialized by running `git submodule deinit`.
+Besides emptying the working directory, this command only modifies
+the superproject’s `$GIT_DIR/config` file, so the superproject’s history
+is not affected. This can be undone using `git submodule init`.
+
+ * Deleted submodule: A submodule can be deleted by running
+`git rm <submodule path> && git commit`. This can be undone
+using `git revert`.
++
+The deletion removes the superproject’s tracking data, which are
+both the `gitlink` entry and the section in the `.gitmodules` file.
+The submodule’s working directory is removed from the file
+system, but the Git directory is kept around as it to make it
+possible to checkout past commits without requiring fetching
+from another repository.
++
+To completely remove a submodule, manually delete
+`$GIT_DIR/modules/<name>/`.
+
+Workflow for a third party library
+----------------------------------
+
+  # add a submodule
+  git submodule add <url> <path>
+
+  # occasionally update the submodule to a new version:
+  git -C <path> checkout <new version>
+  git add <path>
+  git commit -m "update submodule to new version"
+
+  # See the list of submodules in a superproject
+  git submodule status
+
+  # See FORMS on removing submodules
+
+
+Workflow for an artificially split repo
+--------------------------------------
+
+  # Enable recursion for relevant commands, such that
+  # regular commands recurse into submodules by default
+  git config --global submodule.recurse true
+
+  # Unlike the other commands below clone still needs
+  # its own recurse flag:
+  git clone --recurse <URL> <directory>
+  cd <directory>
+
+  # Get to know the code:
+  git grep foo
+  git ls-files
+
+  # Get new code
+  git fetch
+  git pull --rebase
+
+  # change worktree
+  git checkout
+  git reset
+
+Implementation details
+----------------------
+
+When cloning or pulling a repository containing submodules the submodules
+will not be checked out by default; You can instruct 'clone' to recurse
+into submodules. The 'init' and 'update' subcommands of 'git submodule'
+will maintain submodules checked out and at an appropriate revision in
+your working tree. Alternatively you can set 'submodule.recurse' to have
+'checkout' recursing into submodules.
+
+
+SEE ALSO
+--------
+linkgit:git-submodule[1], linkgit:gitmodules[5].
+
+GIT
+---
+Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite