[Distutils] Unexpected easy_install -zmaxd behavior when package is already installed

[David Genest]

Hello, 

I am using easy_install on windows for its ability to install binary eggs (and compiled extension modules). Also using virtualenv to separate my environments.

I want to be able to manage an egg cache to be used in a local installation workflow: download the package and build the eggs in a defined directory.

I first download the package using the documented approach of getting the packages built into eggs in a directory:

easy_install -zmaxd [my_dir]

I would expect to have zipped eggs at the "my_dir" destination.

This works as expected only if I start from a clean virtualenv. 

If the environment is already populated (or installed) with the package I want to cache, it is this package (from site-packages) that is taken to my cache directory, not the zipped egg (I presume because the package is not zip safe).

Is there a way around this behaviour?

Thank you,

D.