title: How do I "semi install" a plugin that is normally installed as an egg, using setup.py develop?
body: <p>I am trying to debug a plugin issue with <code>Trac</code> and <code>TracMercurial</code>.  The plugin does not quite work for me when packaged as an egg and deployed normally.</p>
  
  <p>Using setup.py develop results in plugin not being visible.  Using setup.py install works fine, but I can't debug the results, which I intend to do by adding some logging code to the plugin, so that when the module tries to load, I will be able to inspect the environment and see where it's failing.</p>
  
  <p>I tried to do this command so I could possibly begin to debug the python code that is in the plugin to see where it fails, and why:</p>
  
  <pre><code>c:\workdir&gt; python setup.py develop --exclude-scripts --install-dir "C:\...\python\Lib\site-packages" 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>After doing this, there is an egg-link file in the site-packages directory, but Trac does not see the plugin. If however I use "setup.py install", and it copied the full .egg over to the site-packages directory, then Trac does see the plugin.</p>
  
  <p>Clearly I'm not understanding "setup.py develop" mode.  My goal is to get started with debugging a plugin that is not in any virtual-env, just a simple use of "setup.py develop".  </p>