Zsh function to restart an app running under pow

kapow.zsh

# Restart a rack app running under pow
# http://pow.cx/
#
# Adds a kapow command that will restart an app
#
#   $ kapow myapp
#
# Supports command completion.
#
# If you are not already using completion you might need to enable it with
# 
#    autoload -U compinit compinit
#
# Changes:
#
# Defaults to the current application, and will walk up the tree to find 
# a config.ru file and restart the corresponding app
#
# Will Detect if a app does not exist in pow and print a (slightly) helpful 
# error message

rack_root_detect(){
  setopt chaselinks
  local orgdir=$(pwd)
  local basedir=$(pwd)

  while [[ $basedir != '/' ]]; do
    test -e "$basedir/config.ru" && break
    builtin cd ".." 2>/dev/null
    basedir="$(pwd)"
  done

  builtin cd $orgdir 2>/dev/null
  [[ ${basedir} == "/" ]] && return 1
  echo `basename $basedir | sed -E "s/.(com|net|org)//"`
}
kapow(){
  local vhost=$1
  [ ! -n "$vhost" ] && vhost=$(rack_root_detect)
  if [ ! -h ~/.pow/$vhost ]
  then
    echo "pow: This domain isn’t set up yet. Symlink your application to ${vhost} first."
    return 1
  fi

  [ ! -d "~/.pow/${vhost}/tmp" ] &&  mkdir -p "~/.pow/$vhost/tmp"
  touch ~/.pow/$vhost/tmp/restart.txt;
  [ $? -eq 0 ] &&  echo "pow: restarting $vhost.dev"
}
compctl -W ~/.pow -/ kapow

# View the standard out (puts) from any pow app
alias kaput="tail -f ~/Library/Logs/Pow/apps/*"

The biggest problem I had with this was if the app was not symlink'd in pow at all, it would create the directory with mkdir -p -- I addressed this in 70dbb4.

you could also add a command separately to "pow" an app if it hasn't been already

powit(){
    local basedir=$(pwd)
  local vhost=$1
  [ ! -n "$vhost" ] && vhost=$(rack_root_detect)
  if [ ! -h ~/.pow/$vhost ]
    then
        echo "pow: Symlinking your app with pow. ${vhost}"
      [ ! -d ~/.pow/${vhost} ] && ln -s $basedir ~/.pow/$vhost
    return 1
  fi
}

Thanks for sharing, that was really helpful :)