Synchronize git submodules automatically

[Biswa96]

I use a python script to shallow clone the git submodules manually. I wonder if it is possible to use GitHub Actions for that.

Click here to see the python script

```python #!/usr/bin/env python # https://github.com/KuYaki/gitmodules/blob/master/gitmodules/gitmodules.py """ Clone a specific tag of git submodules with .gitmodules file """ import base64 import os import sys import subprocess import requests cwd = sys.path[0] git_modules_file_path = os.path.join(cwd, ".gitmodules") git_tag = "platform-tools-34.0.1" if os.path.exists(git_modules_file_path): with open(git_modules_file_path) as f: path = None url = None for line in f.readlines(): if "path = " in line: path = line.split("path = ")[-1][:-1] if "url = " in line: url = line.split("url = ")[-1][:-1] if path and url: if "boringssl" in path: boring_url = f'https://android.googlesource.com/platform/external/boringssl/+/refs/tags/{git_tag}/BORINGSSL_REVISION?format=TEXT' boring_sha = str(base64.b64decode(requests.get(boring_url, timeout=30).text), 'UTF-8').strip("\n") print(f'git clone --filter=blob:none https://boringssl.googlesource.com/boringssl.git {path}') subprocess.run(f'git clone --filter=blob:none https://boringssl.googlesource.com/boringssl.git {path}'.split(), check=True) previous_dir = os.getcwd() os.chdir(path) print(f'git checkout {boring_sha}') subprocess.run(f'git checkout {boring_sha}'.split(), check=True) os.chdir(previous_dir) else: print(f'git clone --depth=1 {url} {path} -b {git_tag}') subprocess.run(f'git clone --depth=1 {url} {path} -b {git_tag}'.split(), check=True) path = None url = None ```

:warning: Seek medical advice after seeing the python code.

• What I can not do yet

  • Write correct python script.
  • Pass the submodules tag version to python script.

• What I can try to do but need some guidance

  • Plug that python script in cmake with custom target.
  • Run that custom target in CI when invoked manually.

• The plan

  • The python script will shallow clone each submodules using the .gitignore. The boringssl repository is an exception there as mentioned in cmake file.
  • After cloning, git diff --exit-code vendor command will check if there is any change.
  • If yes, tell developer to update submodules. Or CI can commit the changes when we become confident about that.
  • If there is no change in vendor directory, compile the project as usual.

Please share your ideas and thoughts about this.