mutually-exclusive-group-handler

Development

Generate logic for handling mutually exclusive argument groups with clear error messages and validation in CLI applications.

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Mutually Exclusive Group Handler

Generate logic for handling mutually exclusive CLI argument groups.

Capabilities

Generate mutually exclusive group validation
Create dependent argument relationships
Set up required group validation
Implement custom conflict messages
Configure OR/XOR group logic
Generate documentation for groups

Usage

Invoke this skill when you need to:

Implement mutually exclusive options
Create dependent argument chains
Validate argument relationships
Generate clear conflict messages

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
language	string	Yes	Target language
groups	array	Yes	Mutually exclusive group definitions

Group Structure

{
  "groups": [
    {
      "name": "output-format",
      "type": "mutually_exclusive",
      "required": true,
      "options": ["--json", "--yaml", "--table"],
      "errorMessage": "Choose one output format: --json, --yaml, or --table"
    },
    {
      "name": "auth-method",
      "type": "mutually_exclusive",
      "options": ["--token", "--username"],
      "dependencies": {
        "--username": ["--password"]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Generated Patterns

TypeScript Group Handler

interface GroupValidation {
  name: string;
  options: string[];
  required?: boolean;
  errorMessage?: string;
  dependencies?: Record<string, string[]>;
}

export function validateMutuallyExclusiveGroups(
  args: Record<string, unknown>,
  groups: GroupValidation[]
): void {
  for (const group of groups) {
    const presentOptions = group.options.filter(opt => {
      const key = opt.replace(/^--/, '').replace(/-/g, '_');
      return args[key] !== undefined;
    });

    // Check mutual exclusivity
    if (presentOptions.length > 1) {
      throw new Error(
        group.errorMessage ||
        `Options ${presentOptions.join(', ')} are mutually exclusive`
      );
    }

    // Check required group
    if (group.required && presentOptions.length === 0) {
      throw new Error(
        `One of ${group.options.join(', ')} is required`
      );
    }

    // Check dependencies
    if (group.dependencies && presentOptions.length === 1) {
      const selected = presentOptions[0];
      const deps = group.dependencies[selected];
      if (deps) {
        for (const dep of deps) {
          const depKey = dep.replace(/^--/, '').replace(/-/g, '_');
          if (args[depKey] === undefined) {
            throw new Error(
              `${selected} requires ${dep} to be specified`
            );
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Python Group Handler

from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Any

class MutuallyExclusiveGroup:
    def __init__(
        self,
        name: str,
        options: List[str],
        required: bool = False,
        error_message: Optional[str] = None,
        dependencies: Optional[Dict[str, List[str]]] = None
    ):
        self.name = name
        self.options = options
        self.required = required
        self.error_message = error_message
        self.dependencies = dependencies or {}

def validate_groups(args: Dict[str, Any], groups: List[MutuallyExclusiveGroup]) -> None:
    for group in groups:
        present = [
            opt for opt in group.options
            if args.get(opt.lstrip('-').replace('-', '_')) is not None
        ]

        # Check mutual exclusivity
        if len(present) > 1:
            raise ValueError(
                group.error_message or
                f"Options {', '.join(present)} are mutually exclusive"
            )

        # Check required
        if group.required and not present:
            raise ValueError(
                f"One of {', '.join(group.options)} is required"
            )

        # Check dependencies
        if present and group.dependencies:
            selected = present[0]
            deps = group.dependencies.get(selected, [])
            for dep in deps:
                dep_key = dep.lstrip('-').replace('-', '_')
                if args.get(dep_key) is None:
                    raise ValueError(
                        f"{selected} requires {dep} to be specified"
                    )

Workflow

Define groups - Specify mutually exclusive options
Set requirements - Required vs optional groups
Add dependencies - Dependent argument chains
Create messages - Custom error messages
Generate validator - Validation logic
Generate docs - Group documentation

Target Processes

argument-parser-setup
error-handling-user-feedback
cli-command-structure-design