Re: Git submodule remove

["Kalyan Sriram" <kalyan@coderkalyan.com>]

On Fri Oct 22, 2021 at 3:02 PM PDT, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> "Kalyan Sriram" <kalyan@coderkalyan.com> writes:
>
> > "git rm" deletes the submodule directory completely and modifies
> > .gitmodules, effectively removing the submodule. However, it leaves the
> > entry in .git/config dangling, which is annoying.
>
> The entry is not dangling. It is there to be used when you go back
> in history.
>
> > "git submodule deinit" (which I didn't know existed until I just read the man
> > page) deletes all contents of submodule directory, but leaves the 
> > (empty) submodule directory itself intact. It DOES delete the entry in
> > .git/config, but leaves a dangling entry in .gitmodules, so the next
> > "git submodule update --init --recursive" registers and populates the
> > submodule again.
>
> "deinit" is *not* about remove a submodule. A project can be
> checked out and used with or without its submodules instantiated,
> and "git submodule init" is a way to instantiate it. "deinit" is
> its opposite. As far as the history (which has already been
> recorded in the repository, and the history that will be recorded
> in the repository starting from that state) is concerned, the
> submodule is there---it's just that you are not interested in it and
> chose not to check it out.
>
> So "git rm" seems to be doing exactly what "git submodule rm" should
> be doing, nothing more, nothing less.

That makes sense, thanks for the clarification. So it looks like there
isn't any work to be done here after all?

What are your thoughts about aliasing git submodule rm to git rm? 

Thanks,
Kalyan