I have a project that has python-xlib as a requirement. Unfortunately python-xlib is not on pypi, so in my requirements file I use: svn+https://python-xlib.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/python-xlib/tags/xlib_0_15rc1/ as per this advice: How do you install Python Xlib with pip?
This works fine with pip, but I want to package it with setup.py. Only actual eggs are allowed in install_requires, so this answer: How can I make setuptools install a package that's not on PyPI? suggests using dependency_links, which I did.
svn+https did not work in a dependency_link, so instead I link to the tarball referenced from this page: http://python-xlib.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/python-xlib/tags/xlib_0_15rc1/ . This tarball gets downloaded the way I expect it to, but when it is time to install it, I get:
Searching for pyxlib
Best match: pyxlib [unknown version]
Downloading http://python-xlib.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/python-xlib/tags/xlib_0_15rc1/?view=tar#egg=pyxlib
Processing xlib_0_15rc1
error: /tmp/easy_install-BDFVH3/xlib_0_15rc1/COPYING: Not a directory
I don't get it. Of course COPYING is not a directory. Why does setuptools (or is it distutils?) not run the setup.py that is in the python-xlib root? I suspect this must all be quite easy. How do I include python-xlib as a dependency for my egg?