From 06aebfeb100d3841b99559658dda7ae261232966 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Aditya <97450298+1234-ad@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2026 21:25:53 +0530
Subject: [PATCH 1/3] Add STB and FileWatcher as Git submodules

- Add stb as submodule from nothings/stb repository
- Add FileWatcher as submodule from ThomasMonkman/filewatch repository
- Ensures consistent dependency management across all external libraries
- Fixes issue #17
---
 .gitmodules | 8 ++++++++
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index b57e2f9..1fbc72a 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -12,3 +12,11 @@
 [submodule "external/glm"]
 	path = external/glm
 	url = https://github.com/g-truc/glm.git
+[submodule "external/stb"]
+	path = external/stb
+	url = https://github.com/nothings/stb.git
+	branch = master
+[submodule "external/filewatch"]
+	path = external/filewatch
+	url = https://github.com/ThomasMonkman/filewatch.git
+	branch = master

From 48411fdb526d827ab8def8fbb5568b50fdf5fee5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Aditya <97450298+1234-ad@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2026 21:26:06 +0530
Subject: [PATCH 2/3] Update CMakeLists.txt to include stb and filewatch
 submodule paths

- Add external/stb to include directories for stb_image.h
- Add external/filewatch to include directories for FileWatch.hpp
- Ensures proper header resolution from submodules
- Part of fix for issue #17
---
 CMakeLists.txt | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 53e0452..c0eaed0 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ target_include_directories(glint PRIVATE
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/external/glad/include
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/external/glfw/include
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/external/glm
+    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/external/stb
+    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/external/filewatch
     ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/external/
 )
 

From bd45c522b05df9093cd20656a1826a9c9c8f26b7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Aditya <97450298+1234-ad@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2026 21:26:24 +0530
Subject: [PATCH 3/3] Add submodule migration guide

- Document changes made in this PR
- Provide step-by-step migration instructions for existing users
- Explain benefits of submodule approach
- Part of fix for issue #17
---
 SUBMODULE_MIGRATION.md | 67 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 67 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 SUBMODULE_MIGRATION.md

diff --git a/SUBMODULE_MIGRATION.md b/SUBMODULE_MIGRATION.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a433ee8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SUBMODULE_MIGRATION.md
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+# Submodule Migration Guide
+
+## Overview
+This PR migrates STB and FileWatcher from direct file inclusion to Git submodules for better dependency management and version control.
+
+## Changes Made
+
+### 1. Added Git Submodules
+- **STB**: Added as submodule from `https://github.com/nothings/stb.git`
+- **FileWatcher**: Added as submodule from `https://github.com/ThomasMonkman/filewatch.git`
+
+### 2. Updated Build Configuration
+- Modified `CMakeLists.txt` to include submodule paths
+- Updated include directories to reference submodule locations
+
+## Migration Steps for Existing Users
+
+If you have an existing clone of this repository, follow these steps:
+
+### 1. Remove Old Files
+```bash
+# Remove the old standalone files
+rm external/FileWatch.hpp
+rm src/stb_image.h
+```
+
+### 2. Initialize Submodules
+```bash
+# Update .gitmodules
+git pull origin main
+
+# Initialize and update all submodules
+git submodule update --init --recursive
+```
+
+### 3. Verify Installation
+After initialization, you should have:
+- `external/stb/` directory with STB headers
+- `external/filewatch/` directory with FileWatch headers
+
+### 4. Update Include Paths (if needed)
+The CMakeLists.txt has been updated to include the new paths. If you have custom build scripts, update them to reference:
+- `external/stb/` for STB headers
+- `external/filewatch/` for FileWatch headers
+
+## For New Users
+
+Simply clone with submodules:
+```bash
+git clone --recursive https://github.com/CGS-IITKGP/OpenGL-template.git
+```
+
+Or if already cloned:
+```bash
+git submodule update --init --recursive
+```
+
+## Benefits
+
+1. **Version Control**: Track specific versions of dependencies
+2. **Consistency**: All external dependencies managed uniformly
+3. **Updates**: Easy to update to newer versions
+4. **Size**: Reduces repository size by not duplicating large header files
+
+## Fixes
+
+Closes #17