diff --git a/datafile b/datafile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be73e1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/datafile
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+cat test:
+  foo: bar
+
+rec f0000:
+  date: 01-23-1998
+  inherit: test
+  inherit_order: 1
+
+rec f0001:
+  date: 09-22-1998
+  inherit: test
+  inherit_order: 2
+
+cat g0002:
+  inherit: test
+  inherit_order: 3
+
+rec f0003:
+  date: 09-19-1998
+  inherit: g0002
+  inherit_order: 1
+
+rec f0004:
+  date: 09-21-1998
+  inherit: g0002
+  inherit_order: 2
diff --git a/record.py b/record.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f77e933
--- /dev/null
+++ b/record.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+class FileParsingError(SyntaxError):
+    pass
+
+class Record:
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.name = None
+        self.data = {}
+
+        self.children = {}
+        self.parents = {}
+
+    def __getitem__(self, item):
+        return self.data[item]
+
+    def __setitem__(self, item, value):
+        self.data[item] = value
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return f"[{self.data}, {len(self.children)}, {len(self.parents)}]"
+
+class RecordCollection():
+    def __init__(self, file):
+        if type(file) is str:
+            fd = open(file, "r")
+        elif hasattr(file, "read"):
+            fd = file
+
+        self._fromFile(fd)
+        self._parent()
+
+    def _fromFile(self, fd):
+        lines = [i.rstrip() for i in fd.readlines()]
+        self.objects = {}
+        current = Record()
+
+        for i in lines:
+            ind = i[0:2] == '  '
+
+            if ind:
+                spl = i[2:].split(': ')
+                try:
+                    current[spl[0]] = spl[1]
+                except IndexError:
+                    raise FileParsingError(f"error parsing '{i}'")
+
+            else:
+                try:
+                    name = i.split(' ')[1][0:-1]
+                except IndexError:
+                    current = Record()
+                    continue
+
+                current.name = name
+                self.objects[name] = current
+
+    def _parent(self):
+        for i in self.objects:
+            current = self.objects[i]
+            try:
+                for j, k in zip(
+                    current['inherit'].split(' '),
+                    [int(i) for i in current['inherit_order'].split(' ')]
+                ):
+
+                    current.parents[j] = self.objects[j]
+                    self.objects[j].children[k] = current
+
+            except KeyError:
+                pass
diff --git a/record_test.py b/record_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..739b906
--- /dev/null
+++ b/record_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import record
+
+records = record.RecordCollection('datafile')
+
+print(records.objects)