python setup.py install is used to install (typically third party) packages that you’re not going to develop/modify/debug yourself. For your own stuff, you want to first install your package and then be able to frequently edit the code without having to re-install the package every time — and that is exactly what python setup.py develop … Read more
You can do this without installing anything into python itself. You don’t need sudo or any privileges. You don’t need to edit any files. Install virtualenv into a bootstrap virtual environment. Use the that virtual environment to create more. Since virtualenv ships with pip and distribute, you get everything from one install. Download virtualenv: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/virtualenv … Read more
Note: The solution below only works when installing a source distribution zip or tarball, or installing in editable mode from a source tree. It will not work when installing from a binary wheel (.whl) This solution is more transparent: You will make a few additions to setup.py and there is no need for an extra … Read more
As of May 2022, most of the other answers to this question are several years out-of-date. When you come across advice on Python packaging issues, remember to look at the date of publication, and don’t trust out-of-date information. The Python Packaging User Guide is worth a read. Every page has a “last updated” date displayed, … Read more
I realize that this is an old question, but for people finding their way here via Google: package_data is a low-down, dirty lie. It is only used when building binary packages (python setup.py bdist …) but not when building source packages (python setup.py sdist …). This is, of course, ridiculous — one would expect that … Read more
July 2018 Update Most people should now use pip install setuptools (possibly with sudo). Some may need to (re)install the python-setuptools package via their package manager (apt-get install, yum install, etc.). This issue can be highly dependent on your OS and dev environment. See the legacy/other answers below if the above isn’t working for you. … Read more
From Ian Bicking’s own introduction to pip: pip was originally written to improve on easy_install in the following ways All packages are downloaded before installation. Partially-completed installation doesn’t occur as a result. Care is taken to present useful output on the console. The reasons for actions are kept track of. For instance, if a package … Read more
edit: Manual installation and use of setuptools is not the standard process anymore. If you’re running Python 2.7.9+ or Python 3.4+ Congrats, you should already have pip installed. If you do not, read onward. If you’re running a Unix-like System You can usually install the package for pip through your package manager if your version … Read more