Systems and methods for generating a selection representation for items in a tree structure using an include modifier and an exclude modifier. The method exemplarily includes analyzing a parent node of the tree structure to determine if the parent node is an inclusive selection, including a path of the parent node in the selection representation if the parent node is an inclusive selection, analyzing a first child node of the parent node to determine if the first child node is a different selection type than the parent node, and including a path of the first child node if the first child node is a different selection type than the parent node.