diff --git a/lib/couchrest/core/model.rb b/lib/couchrest/core/model.rb
index e3823df..3eb9eb0 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/core/model.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/core/model.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+require 'rubygems'
+gem 'extlib'
+require 'extlib'
+
 module CouchRest
   module Model
     class << self
@@ -8,8 +12,11 @@ module CouchRest
     module InstanceMethods
       attr_accessor :doc
       
-      def initialize doc = {}
-        self.doc = doc
+      def initialize keys = {}
+        self.doc = {}
+        keys.each do |k,v|
+          doc[k.to_s] = v
+        end
         unless doc['_id'] && doc['_rev']
           init_doc
         end
@@ -27,7 +34,32 @@ module CouchRest
         doc['_rev']
       end
       
+      def new_record?
+        !doc['_rev']
+      end
+      
       def save
+        if new_record?
+          create
+        else
+          update
+        end
+      end
+
+      protected
+      
+      def create
+        set_uniq_id if respond_to?(:set_uniq_id) # hack
+        save_doc
+      end
+      
+      def update
+        save_doc
+      end
+      
+      private
+      
+      def save_doc
         result = database.save doc
         if result['ok']
           doc['_id'] = result['id']
@@ -36,8 +68,6 @@ module CouchRest
         result['ok']
       end
       
-      private
-      
       def init_doc
         doc['type'] = self.class.to_s
       end
@@ -53,19 +83,126 @@ module CouchRest
         @database || CouchRest::Model.default_database
       end
       
-      def uniq_id method
-        before_create do |model|
-          model.doc['_id'] = model.send(method)
+      def get id
+        doc = database.get id
+        new(doc)
+      end
+      
+      def key_accessor *keys
+        key_writer *keys
+        key_reader *keys
+      end
+      
+      def key_writer *keys
+        keys.each do |method|
+          key = method.to_s
+          define_method "#{method}=" do |value|
+            doc[key] = value
+          end
         end
       end
+      
+      def key_reader *keys
+        keys.each do |method|
+          key = method.to_s
+          define_method method do
+            doc[key]
+          end
+        end
+      end
+      
+      def timestamps!
+        before(:create) do
+          doc['updated_at'] = doc['created_at'] = Time.now
+        end                  
+        before(:update) do   
+          doc['updated_at'] = Time.now
+        end
+      end
+      
+      def uniq_id method
+        define_method :set_uniq_id do
+          doc['_id'] ||= self.send(method)
+        end
+      end
+      
     end # module ClassMethods
+
+    module MagicViews
+      def view_by *keys
+        type = self.to_s
+        doc_keys = keys.collect{|k|"doc['#{k}']"}
+        key_protection = doc_keys.join(' && ')
+        key_emit = doc_keys.length == 1 ? "#{doc_keys.first}" : "[#{doc_keys.join(', ')}]"
+        map_function = <<-JAVASCRIPT
+        function(doc) {
+          if (doc.type == '#{type}' && #{key_protection}) {
+            emit(#{key_emit}, null);
+          }
+        }
+        JAVASCRIPT
+
+        method_name = "by_#{keys.join('_and_')}"
+        
+        @@design_doc ||= default_design_doc
+        @@design_doc['views'][method_name] = {
+          'map' => map_function
+        }
+        @@design_doc_fresh = false
+        self.meta_class.instance_eval do
+          define_method method_name do
+            unless @@design_doc_fresh
+              refresh_design_doc
+            end
+            @@design_doc
+          end
+        end
+      end
+      
+      private
+      
+      def design_doc_id
+        "_design/#{self.to_s}"
+      end
+      
+      def default_design_doc
+        {
+          "_id" => design_doc_id,
+          "language" => "javascript",
+          "views" => {}
+        }
+      end
+      
+      
+      def refresh_design_doc
+        saved = database.get(design_doc_id) rescue nil
+        if saved
+          # merge the new views in and save if it needs to be saved
+        else
+          database.save(@@design_doc)
+        end
+        @@design_doc_fresh = true
+      end
+      
+    end # module MagicViews
+    
+    module Callbacks
+      def self.included(model)
+        model.class_eval <<-EOS, __FILE__, __LINE__
+          include Extlib::Hook
+          register_instance_hooks :save #, :create, :update, :destroy
+        EOS
+      end
+    end # module Callbacks
     
     # bookkeeping section
     
     # load the code into the model class
-    def self.included(klass)
-      klass.extend ClassMethods
-      klass.send(:include, InstanceMethods)
+    def self.included(model)
+      model.send(:include, InstanceMethods)
+      model.extend ClassMethods
+      model.extend MagicViews
+      model.send(:include, Callbacks)
     end
     
     
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb
index 8603e9e..5695c80 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/core/model_spec.rb
@@ -8,6 +8,20 @@ class Article
   include CouchRest::Model
   use_database CouchRest.database!('http://localhost:5984/couchrest-model-test')
   uniq_id :slug
+  
+  key_accessor :title
+  key_reader :slug, :created_at, :updated_at
+  before(:create, :generate_slug_from_title)
+
+  timestamps!
+  
+  def generate_slug_from_title
+    doc['slug'] = title.downcase.gsub(/[^a-z0-9]/,'-').squeeze('-').gsub(/^\-|\-$/,'')
+  end
+
+  key_writer :date
+  
+  view_by :date
 end
 
 describe CouchRest::Model do
@@ -16,6 +30,9 @@ describe CouchRest::Model do
     @db = @cr.database(TESTDB)
     @db.delete! rescue nil
     @db = @cr.create_db(TESTDB) rescue nil
+    @adb = @cr.database('couchrest-model-test')
+    @adb.delete! rescue nil
+    CouchRest.database!('http://localhost:5984/couchrest-model-test')
     CouchRest::Model.default_database = CouchRest.database!('http://localhost:5984/couchrest-test')
   end
   
@@ -27,6 +44,64 @@ describe CouchRest::Model do
     Article.database.info['db_name'].should == 'couchrest-model-test'
   end
   
+  describe "a new model" do
+    it "should be a new_record" do
+      @obj = Basic.new
+      @obj.should be_a_new_record
+    end
+  end
+  
+  describe "a model with key_accessors" do
+    it "should allow reading keys" do
+      @art = Article.new
+      @art.doc['title'] = 'My Article Title'
+      @art.title.should == 'My Article Title'
+    end
+    it "should allow setting keys" do
+      @art = Article.new
+      @art.title = 'My Article Title'
+      @art.doc['title'].should == 'My Article Title'
+    end
+  end
+  
+  describe "a model with key_writers" do
+    it "should allow setting keys" do
+      @art = Article.new
+      t = Time.now
+      @art.date = t
+      @art.doc['date'].should == t
+    end
+    it "should not allow reading keys" do
+      @art = Article.new
+      t = Time.now
+      @art.date = t
+      lambda{@art.date}.should raise_error
+    end
+  end
+  
+  describe "a model with key_readers" do
+    it "should allow reading keys" do
+      @art = Article.new
+      @art.doc['slug'] = 'my-slug'
+      @art.slug.should == 'my-slug'
+    end
+    it "should not allow setting keys" do
+      @art = Article.new
+      lambda{@art.slug = 'My Article Title'}.should raise_error
+    end
+  end
+  
+  describe "getting a model" do
+    before(:all) do
+      @art = Article.new(:title => 'All About Getting')
+      @art.save
+    end
+    it "should load and instantiate it" do
+      foundart = Article.get @art.id
+      foundart.title.should == "All About Getting"
+    end
+  end
+
   describe "saving a model" do
     before(:all) do
       @obj = Basic.new
@@ -55,13 +130,85 @@ describe CouchRest::Model do
   end
 
   describe "saving a model with a uniq_id configured" do
-    before(:all) do
+    before(:each) do
       @art = Article.new
+      @old = Article.database.get('this-is-the-title') rescue nil
+      Article.database.delete(@old) if @old
     end
-    it "should require the slug" do
+    
+    it "should require the title" do
       lambda{@art.save}.should raise_error
-      @art.slug = 'this-becomes-the-id'
+      @art.title = 'This is the title'
       @art.save.should == true
     end
+    
+    it "should not change the slug on update" do
+      @art.title = 'This is the title'
+      @art.save.should == true
+      @art.title = 'new title'
+      @art.save.should == true
+      @art.slug.should == 'this-is-the-title'
+    end
+    
+    it "should raise an error when the slug is taken" do
+      @art.title = 'This is the title'
+      @art.save.should == true
+      @art2 = Article.new(:title => 'This is the title!')
+      lambda{@art2.save}.should raise_error
+    end
+    
+    it "should set the slug" do
+      @art.title = 'This is the title'
+      @art.save.should == true
+      @art.slug.should == 'this-is-the-title'
+    end
+    
+    it "should set the id" do
+      @art.title = 'This is the title'
+      @art.save.should == true
+      @art.id.should == 'this-is-the-title'
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "a model with timestamps" do
+    before(:all) do
+      @art = Article.new(:title => "Saving this")
+      @art.save
+    end
+    it "should set the time on create" do
+      (Time.now - @art.created_at).should < 2
+      foundart = Article.get @art.id
+      foundart.created_at.should == foundart.updated_at
+    end
+    it "should set the time on update" do
+      @art.save
+      @art.created_at.should < @art.updated_at
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "a model with simple views" do
+    before(:all) do
+      written_at = Time.now - 24 * 3600 * 7
+      ["this and that", "also interesting", "more fun", "some junk"].each do |title|
+        a = Article.new(:title => title)
+        a.date = written_at
+        a.save
+        written_at += 24 * 3600
+      end
+    end
+    
+    it "should create the design doc" do
+      Article.by_date
+      doc = Article.database.get("_design/Article")
+      doc['views']['by_date'].should_not be_nil
+    end
+    
+    it "should return the matching view result" do
+      view = Article.by_date :raw => true
+      # view.should == 'x'
+      # view['rows'].should == 4
+    end
+    
+    
   end
 end
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