How can one effectively tackle A, B, and C simultaneously, considering that A relies on B and B relies on C?

Question

How can one effectively tackle A, B, and C simultaneously, considering that A relies on B and B relies on C?

I am contemplating the most effective workflow for working on projects A, B, and C simultaneously, where project A relies on project B, which in turn relies on project C.

Currently, I have all three projects stored in one repository, which helped speed up the initial development process. This is how my working directory is structured:

/A/
/A/B
/A/B/C

Project A is the main development driver, but projects B and C are also evolving in parallel.

However, I would like to be able to release projects B and C individually as they are valuable on their own.

My dilemma lies in finding a way to do this without compromising the speed of my development process. While npm is useful for distributing and managing dependencies, constantly moving versions across the internet during development just to update files in different folders on my machine is not ideal :)

Manually copying files over is also not an efficient solution. The thought of having to switch directories to work on project B and then copy it back to /A/B is daunting and error-prone.

That's why git submodule appears to be the solution - it allows me to maintain my directory layout as is. When making changes to files in project B, I can test them directly in project A without the need for manual copying. Once ready, I can commit and push from all three folders, automatically syncing everything to three different repositories. It sounds perfect, yet many people dislike git submodule for various reasons.

This issue is similar when working on grunt plugins. With each plugin in its own repository, I find myself continuously copying it over to one of the projects using it for development purposes. By the end of the day, I copy it back to the grunt plugin working directory, make commits, and push them. Although manageable for a few plugins, it becomes cumbersome for the current project I am focusing on.

I am left wondering, what is the solution to streamline this process?

javascript git workflow npm

Answer 1

Answer №1

It's important to note that Git submodules are linked to a specific version of the external repository, meaning a particular commit.

If you need to update all Git submodules to the most recent version, you will need to execute a command like this: run a command:

git submodule foreach git pull origin master

In some cases, using npm instead of Git submodules may be more suitable. By listing your dependencies in the package.json file and running npm install at the root of the repository, you can retrieve them easily. If a dependency gets updated and a new version is released, simply run npm update again to match the version requirements specified in the package.json file. You can also use npm to specify a certain commit, similar to how Git submodules function:

{
  "devDependencies": {
    "dependency-a": "git://github.com/the-user-name/the-project-name.git#b3c24169432a924d05020c85f852d4a1736e66d4"
  }
}

Additionally, if you wish to utilize the latest version of a dependency, such as the master branch of a specific Git repository, you can do so with the following configuration:

{
  "devDependencies": {
    "dependency-a": "git://github.com/the-user-name/the-project-name.git#master"
  }
}

Answer 2

It's important to note that Git submodules are linked to a specific version of the external repository, meaning a particular commit.

If you need to update all Git submodules to the most recent version, you will need to execute a command like this: run a command:

git submodule foreach git pull origin master

In some cases, using npm instead of Git submodules may be more suitable. By listing your dependencies in the package.json file and running npm install at the root of the repository, you can retrieve them easily. If a dependency gets updated and a new version is released, simply run npm update again to match the version requirements specified in the package.json file. You can also use npm to specify a certain commit, similar to how Git submodules function:

{
  "devDependencies": {
    "dependency-a": "git://github.com/the-user-name/the-project-name.git#b3c24169432a924d05020c85f852d4a1736e66d4"
  }
}

Additionally, if you wish to utilize the latest version of a dependency, such as the master branch of a specific Git repository, you can do so with the following configuration:

{
  "devDependencies": {
    "dependency-a": "git://github.com/the-user-name/the-project-name.git#master"
  }
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

After experimenting with various workflows, I have come to the conclusion that git submodules are not the ideal solution for me. My primary concern is that they link projects together at a source code management level without clear visibility into how this linkage impacts the revision history, especially in scenarios where the head is detached. Instead, I prefer using npm for dependency management by leveraging a combination of `npm link` and git URLs. When I need to test something locally, `npm link` proves to be very useful. On the other hand, git URLs work well for resolving dependencies during pull requests. Ultimately, I aim to have a published module with a version number that corresponds to a git tag for easy reference and issue tracking. To achieve this in a single step, I rely on `npm version`. This approach allows for projects to interdepend at different levels of cohesion throughout my development process.

Answer 4

After experimenting with various workflows, I have come to the conclusion that git submodules are not the ideal solution for me. My primary concern is that they link projects together at a source code management level without clear visibility into how this linkage impacts the revision history, especially in scenarios where the head is detached. Instead, I prefer using npm for dependency management by leveraging a combination of `npm link` and git URLs. When I need to test something locally, `npm link` proves to be very useful. On the other hand, git URLs work well for resolving dependencies during pull requests. Ultimately, I aim to have a published module with a version number that corresponds to a git tag for easy reference and issue tracking. To achieve this in a single step, I rely on `npm version`. This approach allows for projects to interdepend at different levels of cohesion throughout my development process.

Answer 5

Answer №3

Is git subtree the solution in this scenario? An informative article discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using git subtree compared to git submodules can be found here: Alternatives To Git Submodule: Git Subtree.

Answer 6

Is git subtree the solution in this scenario? An informative article discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using git subtree compared to git submodules can be found here: Alternatives To Git Submodule: Git Subtree.

How can one effectively tackle A, B, and C simultaneously, considering that A relies on B and B relies on C?

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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