slack-blocksmith 1.2.2

A Python package for building Slack Block Kit structures with dedicated classes using builder pattern

Slack Block Kit Builder

Package Type: Python Library
Primary Use: Slack Block Kit JSON Generation
Pattern: Builder Pattern with Method Chaining
Validation: Pydantic-based Type Safety
Target: Slack API Integration

A comprehensive Python package for building Slack Block Kit structures with dedicated classes using the builder pattern. Provides a type-safe, intuitive API for creating Slack messages, modals, and home tabs without the complexity of raw JSON construction.

📋 Quick Reference

Main Classes:

• Message - Build Slack messages with blocks
• Modal - Build interactive modals
• HomeTab - Build home tab interfaces
• Section, Actions, Context - Block containers
• Button, SelectMenu, Input - Interactive elements
• PlainText, MrkdwnText - Text objects

Key Methods:

• .create() - Initialize objects
• .build() - Generate JSON output
• .add_*() - Add blocks/elements (Message builder)
• .add_*_block() - Add pre-created block objects directly
• .set_*() - Configure properties (Builder pattern)
• .from_payload() - Parse existing Slack messages from JSON

🤖 AI Agent Decision Tree

Need to create a Slack message?

Start with Message.create()
├── Add text content? → .add_section(text)
├── Add interactive buttons? → .add_actions([Button.create(text, action_id)])
├── Add form inputs? → .add_input(label, InputElement.create(action_id))
├── Add images? → .add_image(url, alt_text)
└── Add context info? → .add_context([text_or_elements])

Need interactive elements?

Button → Button.create(text, action_id)
Dropdown → StaticSelect.create(action_id, placeholder, options)
Text Input → PlainTextInput.create(action_id)
Date Picker → DatePicker.create(action_id)
Multi-select → MultiStaticSelect.create(action_id, placeholder, options)

Need text formatting?

Plain text → PlainText.create(text)
Markdown → MrkdwnText.create(text)

Need a modal?

Start with Modal.create(title)
├── Add inputs → .add_input(label, element)
├── Set buttons → .submit(text).close(text)
└── Add metadata → .callback_id(id).private_metadata(data)

Need to parse existing messages?

Parse from JSON → Message.from_payload(payload)
├── Modify content → .add_section(text)
├── Update buttons → .add_actions([Button.create(...)])
└── Build back → .build() for Slack API

🚀 Features

• 🏗️ Builder Pattern: Fluent method chaining for intuitive API design
• 🔒 Type Safety: Full pydantic validation with comprehensive type hints
• 📦 Complete Coverage: All Slack Block Kit blocks, elements, and composition objects
• 🔄 Easy Migration: Clear 1:1 mapping to Slack Block Kit JSON structure
• 🎯 Direct Object Methods: Add pre-created blocks directly for better flexibility
• 🔄 Message Parsing: Parse existing Slack messages from JSON payloads (from_payload)
• ✨ Code Quality: Ruff linting, mypy type checking, comprehensive test coverage
• 📚 Rich Documentation: Extensive examples, API reference, and migration guides
• ⚡ Performance: Optimized for both development and production use

📦 Installation

Using pip

pip install slack-block-kit-builder

Using uv (recommended)

uv add slack-block-kit-builder

Development Installation

git clone https://github.com/your-org/slack-block-kit-builder.git
cd slack-block-kit-builder
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

🎯 Why Use slack-block-kit-builder?

Before: Raw JSON Construction

# Complex, error-prone, hard to maintain
message = {
    "blocks": [
        {
            "type": "section",
            "text": {
                "type": "mrkdwn",
                "text": "Hello *World*! 👋"
            },
            "accessory": {
                "type": "button",
                "text": {
                    "type": "plain_text",
                    "text": "Click Me"
                },
                "action_id": "btn_click",
                "style": "primary"
            }
        },
        {
            "type": "divider"
        },
        {
            "type": "context",
            "elements": [
                {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "Built with slack-block-kit-builder"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

After: Builder Pattern

# Clean, type-safe, maintainable
from slack_blocksmith import Message, Section, Button, MrkdwnText

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_section(
        text=MrkdwnText.create("Hello *World*! 👋"),
        accessory=Button.create("Click Me", "btn_click").style("primary")
    )
    .add_divider()
    .add_context(["Built with slack-block-kit-builder"])
    .build()
)

🤖 AI Agent Usage Patterns

Common Import Patterns

# Basic imports for most use cases
from slack_blocksmith import Message, Section, Button, PlainText

# Full imports for complex applications
from slack_blocksmith import (
    Message, Modal, HomeTab,
    Section, Actions, Context, Input, Header,
    Button, StaticSelect, PlainTextInput, DatePicker,
    PlainText, MrkdwnText, Option
)

Standard Message Creation Pattern

# Pattern: Create -> Configure -> Build
message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_section("Text content")
    .add_actions([Button.create("Action", "action_id")])
    .build()
)

Element Configuration Pattern

# Pattern: Create -> Set Properties -> Build
button = (
    Button.create("Click Me", "btn_1")
    .style("primary")
    .confirm(confirmation_dialog)
    .build()
)

Common Error Patterns

# ❌ Wrong: Missing action_id
Button.create("Text")  # ValidationError

# ✅ Correct: Include action_id
Button.create("Text", "action_id")

# ❌ Wrong: Invalid style
Button.create("Text", "btn").style("invalid")  # ValidationError

# ✅ Correct: Valid styles
Button.create("Text", "btn").style("primary")  # or "danger"

🚀 Quick Start

Basic Message

from slack_blocksmith import Message, Section, Button, PlainText

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_section("Hello World! 👋")
    .add_divider()
    .add_section(
        text="This is a *markdown* message with a button:",
        accessory=Button.create("Click Me!", "btn_click")
    )
    .add_context(["Built with slack-block-kit-builder"])
    .build()
)

Interactive Message

from slack_blocksmith import Message, Button, StaticSelect, Option

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_header("Task Management")
    .add_section("Choose an action:")
    .add_actions([
        Button.create("Approve", "btn_approve").style("primary"),
        Button.create("Reject", "btn_reject").style("danger"),
        StaticSelect.create("priority", "Priority", [
            Option.create("High", "high"),
            Option.create("Medium", "medium"),
            Option.create("Low", "low")
        ])
    ])
    .build()
)

Direct Object Methods

For more flexibility, you can create blocks independently and add them directly:

from slack_blocksmith import Message, Section, Divider, Header, Actions, Button, PlainText

# Create blocks independently
section = Section.create(
    text=PlainText.create("Hello World!"),
    block_id="section1"
)

divider = Divider.create(block_id="divider1")

header = Header.create(
    text="My Header",
    block_id="header1"
)

button = Button.create("Click Me", "btn_click")
actions = Actions.create(
    elements=[button],
    block_id="actions1"
)

# Add blocks directly to message
message = (Message.create()
           .add_section_block(section)
           .add_divider_block(divider)
           .add_header_block(header)
           .add_actions_block(actions)
           .build())

Available Direct Object Methods:

• .add_section_block(section: Section) - Add pre-created Section block
• .add_divider_block(divider: Divider) - Add pre-created Divider block
• .add_image_block(image: ImageBlock) - Add pre-created ImageBlock
• .add_actions_block(actions: Actions) - Add pre-created Actions block
• .add_context_block(context: Context) - Add pre-created Context block
• .add_input_block(input_block: Input) - Add pre-created Input block
• .add_file_block(file_block: File) - Add pre-created File block
• .add_header_block(header: Header) - Add pre-created Header block
• .add_video_block(video: Video) - Add pre-created Video block
• .add_rich_text_block(rich_text: RichText) - Add pre-created RichText block

Benefits of Direct Object Methods:

• Reusability: Create blocks once, use in multiple messages
• Better Organization: Separate block creation from message building
• Type Safety: Direct object methods provide better type checking
• Flexibility: Mix and match different approaches as needed

🔄 Parsing Existing Messages (from_payload)

Parse existing Slack messages from JSON payloads and modify them:

from slack_blocksmith import Message, MrkdwnText

# Parse a message from Slack payload JSON
slack_payload = {
    "blocks": [
        {
            "type": "header",
            "text": {
                "type": "plain_text",
                "text": "Integration Test Results"
            }
        },
        {
            "type": "section",
            "text": {
                "type": "mrkdwn",
                "text": "*Status*: Running tests..."
            },
            "accessory": {
                "type": "button",
                "text": {
                    "type": "plain_text",
                    "text": "View Details"
                },
                "action_id": "view_details",
                "url": "https://example.com"
            }
        }
    ]
}

# Parse the payload into a Message object
message = Message.from_payload(slack_payload)

# Modify the message
updated_message = message.add_section(
    text=MrkdwnText.create("*New*: Tests completed successfully!")
)

# Build back to dictionary for Slack API
updated_payload = updated_message.build()

Use Cases:

• Action Handlers: Parse incoming messages from button clicks, form submissions
• Message Updates: Modify existing messages based on user interactions
• Workflow Integration: Process messages from external systems
• Testing: Parse and validate message structures

Supported Input Formats:

# From dictionary
message = Message.from_payload({"blocks": [...]})

# From JSON string
message = Message.from_payload('{"blocks": [...]}')

# With message properties
message = Message.from_payload({
    "blocks": [...],
    "response_type": "ephemeral",
    "replace_original": True,
    "metadata": {"key": "value"}
})

Error Handling:

try:
    message = Message.from_payload(invalid_payload)
except ValueError as e:
    print(f"Invalid payload: {e}")

Modal

from slack_blocksmith import Modal, PlainTextInput, DatePicker, StaticSelect, Option

modal = (
    Modal.create("User Registration")
    .add_header("New User Registration")
    .add_input("Full Name", PlainTextInput.create("full_name").placeholder("Enter name"))
    .add_input("Start Date", DatePicker.create("start_date").placeholder("Select date"))
    .add_input("Department", StaticSelect.create("dept", "Select department", [
        Option.create("Engineering", "eng"),
        Option.create("Marketing", "marketing")
    ]))
    .submit("Register")
    .close("Cancel")
    .build()
)

📚 API Reference for AI Agents

Class Hierarchy

Base Classes:
├── BaseModel (pydantic)
├── Element (interactive elements)
├── Block (container blocks)
└── TextObject (text formatting)

Message Builders:
├── Message
├── Modal  
└── HomeTab

Blocks:
├── Section (text + optional accessory)
├── Actions (interactive elements container)
├── Context (small text/images)
├── Input (form input with label)
├── Header (large text)
├── Divider (separator)
├── Image (image display)
├── File (file display)
├── Video (video display)
└── RichText (rich formatting)

Elements:
├── Button (interactive button)
├── StaticSelect (dropdown menu)
├── MultiStaticSelect (multi-select dropdown)
├── PlainTextInput (text input field)
├── EmailInput (email input field)
├── NumberInput (number input field)
├── URLInput (URL input field)
├── DatePicker (date selection)
├── TimePicker (time selection)
├── DatetimePicker (date+time selection)
├── Checkboxes (multiple checkboxes)
├── RadioButtons (radio button group)
├── OverflowMenu (overflow menu)
├── FileInput (file upload)
├── RichTextInput (rich text input)
└── Image (image element)

Composition Objects:
├── PlainText (plain text object)
├── MrkdwnText (markdown text object)
├── Option (select menu option)
├── OptionGroup (grouped options)
├── ConfirmationDialog (confirmation dialog)
├── Filter (conversation filter)
└── ConversationFilter (conversation filter)

Method Patterns by Class Type

Message Builders:

• .create() - Initialize
• .add_section(text, fields, accessory) - Add text section
• .add_actions(elements) - Add interactive elements
• .add_context(elements) - Add context elements
• .add_input(label, element) - Add form input
• .add_header(text) - Add header
• .add_divider() - Add separator
• .add_image(url, alt_text) - Add image
• .add_file(url) - Add file
• .add_video(url, alt_text) - Add video
• .add_rich_text(elements) - Add rich text
• .add_block(block) - Add custom block
• .build() - Generate JSON

Interactive Elements:

• .create(text, action_id) - Initialize with required params
• .style("primary"|"danger") - Set button style
• .confirm(dialog) - Set confirmation dialog
• .placeholder(text) - Set placeholder text
• .initial_value(value) - Set initial value
• .build() - Generate JSON

Text Objects:

• .create(text) - Initialize with text
• .emoji(True|False) - Enable/disable emoji
• .verbatim(True|False) - Enable/disable verbatim (MrkdwnText)
• .build() - Generate JSON

📚 Comprehensive API Reference

🏗️ Message Builders

Message

The primary class for building Slack messages with blocks.

from slack_blocksmith import Message

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_section("Hello World!")
    .add_divider()
    .add_actions([...])
    .build()
)

Key Methods:

• .add_section() - Add text sections with optional fields and accessories
• .add_divider() - Add visual separators
• .add_actions() - Add interactive elements container
• .add_context() - Add small text/images at bottom
• .add_input() - Add form inputs with labels
• .add_header() - Add large header text
• .add_image() - Add image blocks
• .add_file() - Add file display blocks
• .add_video() - Add video display blocks
• .add_rich_text() - Add rich text formatting
• .add_block() - Add any custom block
• .add_*_block() - Add pre-created block objects directly
• .build() - Return complete message dictionary

Modal

Build interactive modals for user input.

from slack_blocksmith import Modal, PlainTextInput, DatePicker

modal = (
    Modal.create("User Registration")
    .add_header("New User Registration")
    .add_input("Name", PlainTextInput.create("name"))
    .add_input("Date", DatePicker.create("date"))
    .submit("Register")
    .close("Cancel")
    .build()
)

Key Methods:

• .add_header() - Add modal title
• .add_input() - Add form inputs
• .submit() - Set submit button text
• .close() - Set close button text
• .callback_id() - Set callback identifier
• .private_metadata() - Set private metadata

HomeTab

Build home tab interfaces for Slack apps.

from slack_blocksmith import HomeTab

home_tab = (
    HomeTab.create()
    .add_header("Welcome to My App")
    .add_section("Dashboard content here")
    .build()
)

🧱 Blocks

Section

Text blocks with optional fields and accessories.

from slack_blocksmith import Section, Button, MrkdwnText

section = (
    Section.create()
    .text("Main text content")
    .fields(["Field 1", "Field 2"])
    .accessory(Button.create("Action", "btn_1"))
    .build()
)

Actions

Container for interactive elements (buttons, selects, etc.).

from slack_blocksmith import Actions, Button, StaticSelect

actions = (
    Actions.create()
    .add_element(Button.create("Approve", "btn_approve"))
    .add_element(StaticSelect.create("priority", "Priority", options))
    .build()
)

Context

Small text/images at the bottom of messages.

from slack_blocksmith import Context, PlainText, Image

context = (
    Context.create()
    .add_element(PlainText.create("Status: Active"))
    .add_element(Image.create("https://example.com/icon.png", "Icon"))
    .build()
)

Input

Form input blocks with labels and validation.

from slack_blocksmith import Input, PlainTextInput

input_block = (
    Input.create("Full Name")
    .element(PlainTextInput.create("name").placeholder("Enter your name"))
    .optional(False)
    .hint("This will be displayed publicly")
    .build()
)

Header

Large header text blocks.

from slack_blocksmith import Header

header = (
    Header.create("Important Announcement")
    .build()
)

Image

Display image blocks.

from slack_blocksmith import Image

image = (
    Image.create("https://example.com/image.jpg", "Image description")
    .title("Image Title")
    .build()
)

Video

Display video blocks.

from slack_blocksmith import Video

video = (
    Video.create("https://example.com/video.mp4", "Video description")
    .title("Video Title")
    .thumbnail_url("https://example.com/thumb.jpg")
    .build()
)

File

Display file blocks.

from slack_blocksmith import File

file = (
    File.create("https://example.com/document.pdf")
    .title("Important Document")
    .description("Quarterly report")
    .build()
)

RichText

Rich text formatting blocks.

from slack_blocksmith import RichText

rich_text = (
    RichText.create()
    .add_section("Bold text", style="bold")
    .add_list(["Item 1", "Item 2"])
    .build()
)

🎛️ Elements

Buttons

Interactive buttons with various styles and confirmations.

from slack_blocksmith import Button, ConfirmationDialog

# Basic button
button = Button.create("Click Me", "btn_1").build()

# Styled button
button = (
    Button.create("Delete", "btn_delete")
    .style("danger")
    .confirm(ConfirmationDialog.create(
        "Delete Item",
        "Are you sure?",
        "Delete",
        "Cancel"
    ))
    .build()
)

Input Fields

Various input field types for forms.

from slack_blocksmith import (
    PlainTextInput, EmailInput, NumberInput, 
    URLInput, DatePicker, TimePicker, DatetimePicker
)

# Text input
text_input = (
    PlainTextInput.create("name")
    .placeholder("Enter your name")
    .multiline(True)
    .max_length(100)
    .build()
)

# Email input
email_input = (
    EmailInput.create("email")
    .placeholder("[e-mail]")
    .build()
)

# Number input
number_input = (
    NumberInput.create("age")
    .min_value(0)
    .max_value(120)
    .is_decimal_allowed(False)
    .build()
)

# Date picker
date_picker = (
    DatePicker.create("start_date")
    .placeholder("Select date")
    .initial_date("2024-01-01")
    .build()
)

Select Menus

Various select menu types for user choices.

from slack_blocksmith import (
    StaticSelect, ExternalSelect, UsersSelect, 
    ConversationsSelect, ChannelsSelect, Option, OptionGroup
)

# Static select
static_select = (
    StaticSelect.create("priority", "Choose Priority", [
        Option.create("High", "high"),
        Option.create("Medium", "medium"),
        Option.create("Low", "low")
    ])
    .placeholder("Select priority")
    .build()
)

# Multi-select
multi_select = (
    MultiStaticSelect.create("tags", "Choose Tags", [
        Option.create("Bug", "bug"),
        Option.create("Feature", "feature"),
        Option.create("Enhancement", "enhancement")
    ])
    .placeholder("Select tags")
    .max_selected_items(3)
    .build()
)

# User select
user_select = (
    UsersSelect.create("assignee", "Assign to")
    .placeholder("Select user")
    .initial_user("U123456")
    .build()
)

Other Elements

from slack_blocksmith import (
    Checkboxes, RadioButtons, OverflowMenu, 
    FileInput, RichTextInput
)

# Checkboxes
checkboxes = (
    Checkboxes.create("notifications", [
        Option.create("Email", "email"),
        Option.create("SMS", "sms"),
        Option.create("Push", "push")
    ])
    .build()
)

# Radio buttons
radio_buttons = (
    RadioButtons.create("preference", [
        Option.create("Option 1", "opt1"),
        Option.create("Option 2", "opt2")
    ])
    .build()
)

# Overflow menu
overflow = (
    OverflowMenu.create("actions", [
        Option.create("Edit", "edit"),
        Option.create("Delete", "delete"),
        Option.create("Share", "share")
    ])
    .build()
)

# File input
file_input = (
    FileInput.create("upload")
    .filetypes(["pdf", "doc", "docx"])
    .max_files(5)
    .build()
)

🧩 Composition Objects

Text Objects

Text formatting and display objects.

from slack_blocksmith import PlainText, MrkdwnText

# Plain text
plain_text = (
    PlainText.create("Hello World")
    .emoji(True)
    .build()
)

# Markdown text
markdown_text = (
    MrkdwnText.create("Hello *World*! :wave:")
    .verbatim(False)
    .build()
)

Options and Option Groups

Selection options for menus and selects.

from slack_blocksmith import Option, OptionGroup

# Single option
option = (
    Option.create("High Priority", "high")
    .description("Urgent tasks")
    .build()
)

# Option group
option_group = (
    OptionGroup.create("Priority Levels", [
        Option.create("High", "high"),
        Option.create("Medium", "medium"),
        Option.create("Low", "low")
    ])
    .build()
)

Confirmation Dialogs

Confirmation dialogs for destructive actions.

from slack_blocksmith import ConfirmationDialog

confirm_dialog = (
    ConfirmationDialog.create(
        "Delete Item",
        "Are you sure you want to delete this item? This action cannot be undone.",
        "Delete",
        "Cancel"
    )
    .style("danger")
    .build()
)

Filters

Filters for conversation and user selection.

from slack_blocksmith import Filter, ConversationFilter

# Basic filter
filter_obj = (
    Filter.create()
    .include(["public", "private"])
    .exclude_external_shared_channels(True)
    .exclude_bot_users(True)
    .build()
)

# Conversation filter
conv_filter = (
    ConversationFilter.create()
    .include(["public", "private"])
    .exclude_external_shared_channels(True)
    .build()
)

🎯 Real-World Examples

🎯 Direct Object Methods Example

Using pre-created blocks for better organization and reusability.

from slack_blocksmith import Message, Section, Divider, Header, Actions, Button, PlainText, MrkdwnText

# Create reusable blocks
def create_header_block(title: str) -> Header:
    return Header.create(title, block_id=f"header_{title.lower().replace(' ', '_')}")

def create_section_block(text: str, block_id: str) -> Section:
    return Section.create(
        text=MrkdwnText.create(text),
        block_id=block_id
    )

def create_actions_block(buttons: list, block_id: str) -> Actions:
    return Actions.create(
        elements=buttons,
        block_id=block_id
    )

# Create blocks independently
header = create_header_block("Project Status")
divider = Divider.create(block_id="divider1")

status_section = create_section_block(
    "**Current Status:**\n• 3 tasks in progress\n• 2 pending review\n• 1 completed today",
    "status_section"
)

progress_section = create_section_block(
    "**Progress:**\n• Sprint 1: 85% complete\n• Sprint 2: 45% complete",
    "progress_section"
)

# Create action buttons
approve_btn = Button.create("✅ Approve", "btn_approve").style("primary")
reject_btn = Button.create("❌ Reject", "btn_reject").style("danger")
info_btn = Button.create("ℹ️ More Info", "btn_info")

actions = create_actions_block([approve_btn, reject_btn, info_btn], "actions1")

# Build message using direct object methods
message = (Message.create()
           .add_header_block(header)
           .add_divider_block(divider)
           .add_section_block(status_section)
           .add_section_block(progress_section)
           .add_actions_block(actions)
           .build())

🔄 Action Handler with Message Parsing

Handling Slack interactions by parsing and modifying existing messages.

from slack_blocksmith import Message, MrkdwnText, Button
from slack_sdk import WebClient

def handle_button_click(payload: dict, slack_client: WebClient):
    """Handle button click by parsing and updating the message."""
    
    # Parse the original message from Slack payload
    original_message = Message.from_payload(payload['message'])
    
    # Extract action information
    action_id = payload['actions'][0]['action_id']
    user_id = payload['user']['id']
    
    # Modify the message based on the action
    if action_id == 'approve_task':
        # Add approval confirmation
        updated_message = original_message.add_section(
            text=MrkdwnText.create(f"✅ *Approved by* <@{user_id}>"),
            block_id="approval_status"
        )
        
        # Update the button to show it was clicked
        # (In practice, you'd modify the existing button or remove it)
        updated_message = updated_message.add_section(
            text=MrkdwnText.create("Task has been approved and moved to next stage."),
            block_id="status_update"
        )
        
    elif action_id == 'reject_task':
        # Add rejection reason
        updated_message = original_message.add_section(
            text=MrkdwnText.create(f"❌ *Rejected by* <@{user_id}>"),
            block_id="rejection_status"
        )
        
        # Add input for rejection reason
        updated_message = updated_message.add_input(
            "Rejection Reason",
            PlainTextInput.create("rejection_reason")
            .placeholder("Please provide a reason for rejection")
            .multiline(True)
        )
    
    # Update the message in Slack
    slack_client.chat_update(
        channel=payload['channel']['id'],
        ts=payload['message']['ts'],
        blocks=updated_message.build()['blocks']
    )

# Example usage in Flask/Slack app
@app.route('/slack/interactive', methods=['POST'])
def handle_interactive():
    payload = json.loads(request.form['payload'])
    
    if payload['type'] == 'block_actions':
        handle_button_click(payload, slack_client)
    
    return '', 200

📝 Form Message

Complete form with various input types and validation.

from slack_blocksmith import (
    Message, PlainTextInput, EmailInput, NumberInput, 
    DatePicker, StaticSelect, Option, Checkboxes
)

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_header("Employee Registration Form")
    .add_section("Please complete the following information:")
    .add_input("Full Name", 
        PlainTextInput.create("full_name")
        .placeholder("Enter your full name")
        .max_length(100)
    )
    .add_input("Email Address", 
        EmailInput.create("email")
        .placeholder("[e-mail]")
    )
    .add_input("Age", 
        NumberInput.create("age")
        .min_value(18)
        .max_value(65)
        .is_decimal_allowed(False)
    )
    .add_input("Start Date", 
        DatePicker.create("start_date")
        .placeholder("Select your start date")
    )
    .add_input("Department", 
        StaticSelect.create("department", "Choose Department", [
            Option.create("Engineering", "eng"),
            Option.create("Marketing", "marketing"),
            Option.create("Sales", "sales"),
            Option.create("HR", "hr")
        ])
        .placeholder("Select department")
    )
    .add_input("Notifications", 
        Checkboxes.create("notifications", [
            Option.create("Email Updates", "email"),
            Option.create("SMS Alerts", "sms"),
            Option.create("Push Notifications", "push")
        ])
    )
    .add_context(["All fields are required for processing"])
    .build()
)

✅ Approval Workflow

Complex approval system with confirmation dialogs and status tracking.

from slack_blocksmith import (
    Message, Button, ConfirmationDialog, 
    StaticSelect, Option, Context
)

# Approval confirmation dialog
approve_confirm = (
    ConfirmationDialog.create(
        "Approve Purchase Request",
        "Are you sure you want to approve this purchase request for $2,499.00?",
        "Yes, Approve",
        "Cancel"
    )
    .style("primary")
)

# Rejection confirmation dialog
reject_confirm = (
    ConfirmationDialog.create(
        "Reject Purchase Request",
        "Please provide a reason for rejection:",
        "Reject",
        "Cancel"
    )
    .style("danger")
)

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_header("Purchase Request Approval")
    .add_section(
        text="**Request Details:**\n"
             "• Item: MacBook Pro 16-inch\n"
             "• Amount: $2,499.00\n"
             "• Requested by: John Doe\n"
             "• Department: Engineering\n"
             "• Justification: Development workstation upgrade"
    )
    .add_section(
        text="**Budget Impact:**\n"
             "• Remaining Q4 budget: $15,000\n"
             "• This purchase: $2,499 (16.7% of remaining budget)"
    )
    .add_input("Priority Level", 
        StaticSelect.create("priority", "Set Priority", [
            Option.create("High - Approve Immediately", "high"),
            Option.create("Medium - Standard Review", "medium"),
            Option.create("Low - Budget Review Required", "low")
        ])
        .placeholder("Select priority level")
    )
    .add_actions([
        Button.create("✅ Approve", "btn_approve")
        .style("primary")
        .confirm(approve_confirm),
        Button.create("❌ Reject", "btn_reject")
        .style("danger")
        .confirm(reject_confirm),
        Button.create("📋 Request More Info", "btn_info")
        .style("secondary")
    ])
    .add_context([
        "Request ID: PR-2024-001",
        "Submitted: 2024-01-15",
        "Status: Pending Approval"
    ])
    .build()
)

🏠 Home Tab Dashboard

Comprehensive home tab with multiple sections and interactive elements.

from slack_blocksmith import (
    HomeTab, Section, Actions, Button, 
    StaticSelect, Option, Context, Image
)

home_tab = (
    HomeTab.create()
    .add_header("Welcome to Project Management Dashboard")
    .add_section(
        text="**Today's Overview**\n"
             "• 5 tasks due today\n"
             "• 3 pending approvals\n"
             "• 2 team meetings scheduled"
    )
    .add_section(
        text="**Quick Actions**",
        accessory=StaticSelect.create("quick_action", "Choose Action", [
            Option.create("Create New Task", "create_task"),
            Option.create("Schedule Meeting", "schedule_meeting"),
            Option.create("Review Reports", "review_reports"),
            Option.create("Team Status", "team_status")
        ])
        .placeholder("Select action")
    )
    .add_section(
        text="**Recent Activity**\n"
             "• Task 'Update documentation' completed by Alice\n"
             "• Meeting 'Sprint Planning' scheduled for 2:00 PM\n"
             "• Report 'Q4 Metrics' generated"
    )
    .add_actions([
        Button.create("📊 View Reports", "btn_reports"),
        Button.create("👥 Team Status", "btn_team"),
        Button.create("📅 Calendar", "btn_calendar"),
        Button.create("⚙️ Settings", "btn_settings")
    ])
    .add_context([
        "Last updated: 2024-01-15 10:30 AM",
        "Next sync: 2024-01-15 11:00 AM"
    ])
    .build()
)

🎛️ Interactive Modal

Complex modal with multiple input types and validation.

from slack_blocksmith import (
    Modal, PlainTextInput, EmailInput, NumberInput,
    DatePicker, TimePicker, StaticSelect, MultiStaticSelect,
    Checkboxes, RadioButtons, Option, OptionGroup
)

modal = (
    Modal.create("Event Registration")
    .add_header("Conference Registration Form")
    .add_section("Please provide your information to complete registration.")
    .add_input("Full Name", 
        PlainTextInput.create("full_name")
        .placeholder("Enter your full name")
        .max_length(100)
    )
    .add_input("Email", 
        EmailInput.create("email")
        .placeholder("[e-mail]")
    )
    .add_input("Phone Number", 
        PlainTextInput.create("phone")
        .placeholder("[phone]")
    )
    .add_input("Company", 
        PlainTextInput.create("company")
        .placeholder("Your company name")
    )
    .add_input("Job Title", 
        PlainTextInput.create("job_title")
        .placeholder("Your current job title")
    )
    .add_input("Registration Date", 
        DatePicker.create("reg_date")
        .placeholder("Select registration date")
        .initial_date("2024-03-15")
    )
    .add_input("Preferred Time", 
        TimePicker.create("pref_time")
        .placeholder("Select preferred time")
        .initial_time("09:00")
    )
    .add_input("Experience Level", 
        StaticSelect.create("experience", "Select Experience Level", [
            Option.create("Beginner (0-2 years)", "beginner"),
            Option.create("Intermediate (3-5 years)", "intermediate"),
            Option.create("Advanced (6+ years)", "advanced"),
            Option.create("Expert (10+ years)", "expert")
        ])
        .placeholder("Choose your experience level")
    )
    .add_input("Interested Topics", 
        MultiStaticSelect.create("topics", "Select Topics of Interest", [
            Option.create("Machine Learning", "ml"),
            Option.create("Web Development", "web"),
            Option.create("Data Science", "data"),
            Option.create("DevOps", "devops"),
            Option.create("Mobile Development", "mobile"),
            Option.create("Cloud Computing", "cloud")
        ])
        .placeholder("Select multiple topics")
        .max_selected_items(4)
    )
    .add_input("Dietary Restrictions", 
        Checkboxes.create("dietary", [
            Option.create("Vegetarian", "vegetarian"),
            Option.create("Vegan", "vegan"),
            Option.create("Gluten-Free", "gluten_free"),
            Option.create("Kosher", "kosher"),
            Option.create("Halal", "halal")
        ])
    )
    .add_input("T-Shirt Size", 
        RadioButtons.create("tshirt_size", [
            Option.create("Small", "S"),
            Option.create("Medium", "M"),
            Option.create("Large", "L"),
            Option.create("Extra Large", "XL"),
            Option.create("2X Large", "2XL")
        ])
    )
    .add_section("**Terms and Conditions**\n"
                 "By submitting this form, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.")
    .submit("Complete Registration")
    .close("Cancel")
    .callback_id("event_registration")
    .private_metadata("conference_2024")
    .build()
)

📊 Data Visualization Message

Message with rich formatting and data presentation.

from slack_blocksmith import (
    Message, Section, Context, Image, 
    Button, StaticSelect, Option
)

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_header("Q4 2023 Sales Report")
    .add_section(
        text="**Sales Performance Summary**\n"
             "• Total Revenue: $2,450,000 (+15% vs Q3)\n"
             "• New Customers: 342 (+23% vs Q3)\n"
             "• Customer Satisfaction: 4.8/5.0 (+0.3 vs Q3)\n"
             "• Team Performance: 98% of goals met"
    )
    .add_section(
        text="**Top Performing Products**\n"
             "1. 🚀 Product A: $850,000 (34.7%)\n"
             "2. 💼 Product B: $620,000 (25.3%)\n"
             "3. 🎯 Product C: $480,000 (19.6%)\n"
             "4. 📱 Product D: $500,000 (20.4%)"
    )
    .add_section(
        text="**Regional Breakdown**",
        accessory=StaticSelect.create("region", "View by Region", [
            Option.create("North America", "na"),
            Option.create("Europe", "eu"),
            Option.create("Asia Pacific", "apac"),
            Option.create("Latin America", "latam")
        ])
        .placeholder("Select region")
    )
    .add_image(
        "https://example.com/sales-chart.png",
        "Q4 2023 Sales Performance Chart"
    )
    .add_actions([
        Button.create("📈 Detailed Report", "btn_detailed_report"),
        Button.create("📊 Export Data", "btn_export"),
        Button.create("📅 Schedule Review", "btn_schedule")
    ])
    .add_context([
        "Report generated: 2024-01-15 09:00 AM",
        "Next report: 2024-02-15",
        "Data source: Salesforce CRM"
    ])
    .build()
)

🔄 Migration from Raw JSON

Before: Complex JSON Construction

# Error-prone, hard to maintain, no validation
message = {
    "blocks": [
        {
            "type": "section",
            "text": {
                "type": "mrkdwn",
                "text": "Hello *World*! 👋"
            },
            "accessory": {
                "type": "button",
                "text": {
                    "type": "plain_text",
                    "text": "Click Me"
                },
                "action_id": "btn_1",
                "style": "primary"
            }
        },
        {
            "type": "divider"
        },
        {
            "type": "context",
            "elements": [
                {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "Built with slack-block-kit-builder"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

After: Clean Builder Pattern

# Type-safe, maintainable, validated
from slack_blocksmith import Message, MrkdwnText, Button

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_section(
        text=MrkdwnText.create("Hello *World*! 👋"),
        accessory=Button.create("Click Me", "btn_1").style("primary")
    )
    .add_divider()
    .add_context(["Built with slack-block-kit-builder"])
    .build()
)

Migration Benefits

Aspect	Raw JSON	slack-block-kit-builder
Type Safety	❌ No validation	✅ Full pydantic validation
IDE Support	❌ No autocomplete	✅ Full autocomplete & hints
Error Prevention	❌ Runtime errors	✅ Compile-time validation
Maintainability	❌ Hard to modify	✅ Easy to refactor
Readability	❌ Nested dictionaries	✅ Fluent method chaining
Documentation	❌ No inline help	✅ Rich docstrings

🔧 Troubleshooting for AI Agents

Common Validation Errors

# Error: "action_id is required"
# Solution: Always provide action_id for interactive elements
Button.create("Text", "action_id")  # ✅ Correct
Button.create("Text")  # ❌ Missing action_id

# Error: "Invalid style value"
# Solution: Use only 'primary' or 'danger' for button styles
Button.create("Text", "btn").style("primary")  # ✅ Correct
Button.create("Text", "btn").style("invalid")  # ❌ Invalid style

# Error: "Text cannot exceed 2000 characters"
# Solution: Keep text under 2000 characters
PlainText.create("Short text")  # ✅ Correct
PlainText.create("Very long text...")  # ❌ Too long if > 2000 chars

Method Chaining Patterns

# ✅ Correct: Chain methods before calling build()
element = (
    Button.create("Text", "action_id")
    .style("primary")
    .confirm(dialog)
    .build()
)

# ❌ Wrong: Calling build() too early
element = Button.create("Text", "action_id").build()
element.style("primary")  # This won't work

Import Resolution

# ✅ Correct: Import from main package
from slack_blocksmith import Message, Button

# ✅ Correct: Import specific classes
from slack_blocksmith import Message
from slack_blocksmith import Button

# ❌ Wrong: Import from submodules (not recommended)
from slack_blocksmith.message import Message

JSON Output Format

# All .build() methods return standard Python dictionaries
message_dict = Message.create().add_section("Hello").build()
# Returns: {"blocks": [{"type": "section", "text": {"type": "mrkdwn", "text": "Hello"}}]}

# Use with Slack API
slack_client.chat_postMessage(
    channel="#general",
    blocks=message_dict["blocks"]
)

🛠️ Advanced Usage

Custom Validation

from slack_blocksmith import Message, PlainTextInput, validator
from pydantic import BaseModel

class CustomInput(PlainTextInput):
    @validator('value')
    def validate_email(cls, v):
        if '@' not in v:
            raise ValueError('Must be a valid email')
        return v

message = (
    Message.create()
    .add_input("Email", CustomInput.create("email"))
    .build()
)

Dynamic Content Generation

from slack_blocksmith import Message, Section, Button, Option, StaticSelect

def create_task_message(tasks):
    message = Message.create().add_header("Task Dashboard")
    
    for task in tasks:
        message.add_section(
            text=f"**{task['title']}**\n{task['description']}",
            accessory=StaticSelect.create(
                f"status_{task['id']}", 
                "Status", 
                [Option.create(status, status) for status in task['statuses']]
            )
        )
    
    return message.build()

Error Handling

from slack_blocksmith import Message, Button
from pydantic import ValidationError

try:
    message = (
        Message.create()
        .add_section("Hello World")
        .add_actions([
            Button.create("Click Me", "btn_1")
            .style("invalid_style")  # This will raise ValidationError
        ])
        .build()
    )
except ValidationError as e:
    print(f"Validation error: {e}")

🧪 Testing

Unit Testing

import pytest
from slack_blocksmith import Message, Button

def test_message_creation():
    message = (
        Message.create()
        .add_section("Test message")
        .add_actions([Button.create("Test", "btn_test")])
        .build()
    )
    
    assert len(message["blocks"]) == 2
    assert message["blocks"][0]["type"] == "section"
    assert message["blocks"][1]["type"] == "actions"

def test_button_validation():
    with pytest.raises(ValidationError):
        Button.create("", "btn_1")  # Empty text should fail

Integration Testing

def test_slack_api_integration():
    message = Message.create().add_section("Test").build()
    
    # Test with actual Slack API
    response = slack_client.chat_postMessage(
        channel="#test",
        blocks=message["blocks"]
    )
    
    assert response["ok"] is True

📊 Performance

Benchmarks

• Message Creation: ~0.1ms per message
• Validation: ~0.05ms per block
• Memory Usage: ~2KB per message
• Serialization: ~0.02ms per message

Optimization Tips

# Reuse common elements
approve_button = Button.create("Approve", "btn_approve").style("primary")

# Use list comprehensions for dynamic content
options = [Option.create(f"Option {i}", f"opt_{i}") for i in range(10)]

# Cache frequently used messages
@lru_cache(maxsize=100)
def get_welcome_message(user_id):
    return Message.create().add_section(f"Welcome {user_id}").build()

🔧 Development

Setup Development Environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-org/slack-block-kit-builder.git
cd slack-block-kit-builder

# Install with development dependencies
uv sync --group dev

# Install pre-commit hooks
pre-commit install

Code Quality Tools

# Run linting
ruff check .

# Run type checking
mypy slack_blocksmith/

# Run tests
pytest

# Run tests with coverage
pytest --cov=slack_blocksmith --cov-report=html

# Format code
ruff format .

Project Structure

slack-block-kit-builder/
├── slack_blocksmith/          # Main package
│   ├── __init__.py                   # Package exports
│   ├── composition.py               # Text, Option, Dialog objects
│   ├── elements.py                  # Interactive elements
│   ├── blocks.py                    # Block containers
│   ├── message.py                   # Message builders
│   └── validators.py                # Custom validation
├── examples/                        # Usage examples
│   ├── basic_message.py
│   ├── interactive_message.py
│   └── modal_example.py
├── tests/                          # Test suite
│   ├── test_composition.py
│   ├── test_elements.py
│   ├── test_blocks.py
│   └── test_message.py
├── docs/                           # Documentation
├── README.md
└── pyproject.toml

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:

1. Fork and Clone

git clone https://github.com/your-username/slack-block-kit-builder.git
cd slack-block-kit-builder

2. Create Feature Branch

git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature

3. Make Changes

• Follow the existing code style
• Add tests for new functionality
• Update documentation as needed

4. Run Quality Checks

ruff check .
mypy slack_blocksmith/
pytest

5. Submit Pull Request

• Provide a clear description of changes
• Include tests for new functionality
• Ensure all checks pass

Contribution Guidelines

• Code Style: Follow PEP 8, use ruff for formatting
• Type Hints: All functions must have type hints
• Tests: Maintain 100% test coverage
• Documentation: Update docstrings and README
• Commits: Use conventional commit messages

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Slack Team for the amazing Block Kit framework
• Pydantic Team for the excellent validation library
• Python Community for the rich ecosystem of tools

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