How do I get PyCharm to update from my local package repository?

Question

I'm trying to teach PyCharm (4.5.4 Professional edition) to connect to our local package repository so I can install our code-specific packages with the click of a button rather than futzing with the terminal and pip.

In the 'Manage Repositories' button found under: Settings -> Project Interpreter -> + (plus sign button for adding a new package) is a place that looks like I can add my repo URL but it doesn't work. I would expect that the same URL I'd use in pip install -i <my repo url> to be what I need here but for all I can tell, PyCharm just ignores my newly added repo and only uses pypi.

How do I get PyCharm to update from my local package repository?

Answer 1

I know it's late for the answer but I'll give it a shot, although you probably have tried and solved that "problem" by now.
The thing is that you didn't mention one last step that is probably needed to update the list of packages according to the "new" repository.
I report the recipe directly from JetBrains website https://www.jetbrains.com/help/pycharm-edu/3.0/installing-uninstalling-and-upgrading-packages.html

To specify a custom repository, follow these steps

1. In the Project Interpreter page of the project settings, click add, and then, in the Available Packages dialog box, click Manage Repositories.
2. In the Manage Repositories dialog box that opens, click add to add a URL of a local repository, for example, something like http://somehost/alice/dev.
3. In the Manage Repositories dialog box, click OK.
4. Back in the Available Packages dialog box, click refresh to reload the list of packages. As a result, the packages that exist on the local server appear.

You didn't mention step 4., which is supposed to update according to the newly inserted repository.
Now, you probably did step 4., but you didn't mention.
For example, in my PyCharm CE 2016.2.3, after I insert a custom repository following the first 3 steps, I see the refresh icon () in the bottom left of the Available Packages dialog box.
Then either you were hitting some kind of bug in your PyCharm at that time or you didn't update the list of packages.