Usage

Definition

The remote_dependency parameter provides the details of an external Git repository containing a LookML project that has files that you want to use in this project. You can include multiple remote_dependency statements in the manifest file to import multiple projects.

The remote_dependency parameter goes in your project’s manifest file. If your project doesn’t have one, you can create a manifest file.

The remote_dependency parameter takes a name, which can be anything you like. This name is what you use in include statements to reference the imported files in LookML projects. The name is also used as the folder name under the imported_projects folder of the Looker IDE.

In addition, the remote_dependency parameter has the following subparameters:

• url
• ref
• override_constant

url

The url subparameter specifies the address of the external Git repository. Use the main URL of the repository. For example, using HTTPS:

Or using SSH:

ref

The ref subparameter specifies a Git branch, a Git release tag, or a commit SHA of the remote project’s Git repository that Looker should bring into your Looker project:

• Git branch: You can specify a Git branch if you want Looker to automatically detect new commits for that branch from the remote project. For more information, see the Importing files from other projects documentation page.
• Git release tag: You can specify a Git release tag if you want Looker to automatically detect new commits for that tag from the remote project. For more information, see the Importing files from other projects documentation page.
• Git commit SHA: You can specify a commit SHA if you want to have static versioning, so that changes in the imported project will not be automatically reflected in your project. Typically, this would be the most recent commit, but it is not required to be. You can find commit SHAs anywhere you can browse the commit history. Git service providers usually make the SHA clearly visible and copyable. This is a good option for Looker Blocks.

Here is an example remote dependency that specifies a commit SHA from the remote Git project:

Here is an example remote dependency that specifies the master branch on the remote Git project:

Regardless of the type of ref you specify, when you add a remote_dependency to your project and validate your LookML, the IDE will display the Update Dependencies button. Click the button to bring in the remote project files. If this is the first remote project that you added to your project, updating dependencies will also prompt Looker to create a manifest lock file. Looker uses the manifest lock file to track the version of the remote project(s). See the Automatically detecting new versions of a remote project section of the Importing files from other projects documentation page for more information.

override_constant

The override_constant parameter lets you override the value of a constant that was defined in an imported project.

The override_constant parameter can also be used with the local_dependency parameter for local project import.

When importing files from one project into another, you can override the values of constants defined in the imported project’s manifest file. When you override a constant’s value, imported files that reference that constant will use the new value provided in the importing project.

When the export parameter is set to override_required or override_optional for a constant defined in the imported project, the override_constant subparameter of local_dependency can be used to provide a new value for that constant. For example, suppose you have a constant connection defined in the imported project’s manifest file:

In this example, because the export parameter is set to override_required, its value must be overridden in the importing project’s manifest file:

See the Importing files from other projects documentation page for more information and another example of overriding constants in importing projects.

Example

In a manifest file, add the “Google GA 360” Git repository as a source to import files from: