The-Arbiter 1.0.0

An argument validation library.

The Arbiter

The arbiter is a library for writing validations using a simple syntax. What kind of validations? Originally it was intended to validate named arguments. But use your imagination. It is really, really flexible.

The syntax has simple rules:

• Validators must be a list, or a dictionary.
• Lists are treated as "AND" conditions.
• Dictionaries are used for "OR" and "XOR" conditions. Requirements:
  • Keys must be strings and start with "OR" or "XOR" (case insensitive). Beyond that, you can use any suffix you like for clarity.
  • Values must be a list.
• Values must be strings

You can nest things all you want. For example:

contact_validator = Arbiter([
    'name', 'address',                                   # must have name and address
    {'or_contact': ['phone', 'email']},                  # also need phone or email, or both
    {'xor_location': ['street_address', 'coordinates']}  # and, street_address or coordinates, but not both
])

Using dictionaries and lists you can create simple or complex validation rules.

Why "The Arbiter?" Because an arbiter is considered the ultimate authority when it comes to settling a dispute. I thought it was more fun than "argument validator."

Current Limitations

This does not do any type validation on arguments. It only verifies whether or not it exists.

Code Examples

Verifying a simple named argument.

from thearbiter.validator import Arbiter

required_favorites = Arbiter(['animal'])

def hi_there(name, **favorites):
    # this will raise an AttributeException if the "animal" keyword is not found. 
    required_favorites.validate_args(**favorites)

More examples to come.