initgitmods.sh

#!/bin/sh
# Thank you to Mark Longair and other contributors to 
# this answer on StackOverflow-- https://stackoverflow.com/a/11258810

set -e
set -v
set -x 

git config -f .gitmodules --get-regexp '^submodule\..*\.path$' |
    while read path_key path
    do
        url_key=$(echo $path_key | sed 's/\.path/.url/');
        branch_key=$(echo $path_key | sed 's/\.path/.branch/');
        # If the url_key doesn't yet exist then backup up the existing
        # directory if necessary and add the submodule
        if [ ! $(git config --get "$url_key") ]; then
            if [ -d "$path" ] && [ ! $(git config --get "$url_key") ]; then
                mv "$path" "$path""_backup_""$(date +'%Y%m%d%H%M%S')";
            fi;
            url=$(git config -f .gitmodules --get "$url_key");
            # If a branch is specified then use that one, otherwise
            # default to master
            branch=$(git config -f .gitmodules --get "$branch_key");
            if [ ! "$branch" ]; then branch="master"; fi;
            #git rm -r "$path";
            git submodule add -f -b "$branch" "$url" "$path";
        fi;
    done;

# In case the submodule exists in .git/config but the url is out of date
git submodule sync;

# Now actually pull all the modules. I used to use only this...
git submodule update --init --remote --force --recursive

# ...but the submodules would check out in detached HEAD state and I 
# didn't like that, so now I do this...
git submodule foreach --recursive 'git checkout $(git config -f $toplevel/.gitmodules submodule.$name.branch || echo master)';