diff --git a/CADET-Python.pyproj b/CADET-Python.pyproj
index 2edb092..0345aa4 100644
--- a/CADET-Python.pyproj
+++ b/CADET-Python.pyproj
@@ -5,13 +5,13 @@
     <SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
     <ProjectGuid>{12356d41-d8b4-45c3-8413-01e847dcfac2}</ProjectGuid>
     <ProjectHome />
-    <StartupFile>examples\SMB.py</StartupFile>
+    <StartupFile>examples\cadet_json.py</StartupFile>
     <SearchPath />
     <WorkingDirectory>.</WorkingDirectory>
     <OutputPath>.</OutputPath>
     <ProjectTypeGuids>{888888a0-9f3d-457c-b088-3a5042f75d52}</ProjectTypeGuids>
     <LaunchProvider>Standard Python launcher</LaunchProvider>
-    <InterpreterId>Global|ContinuumAnalytics|Anaconda37-64</InterpreterId>
+    <InterpreterId>CondaEnv|CondaEnv|cadet_devel</InterpreterId>
     <IsWindowsApplication>False</IsWindowsApplication>
   </PropertyGroup>
   <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)' == 'Debug'" />
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@
     <Compile Include="cadet\__init__.py">
       <SubType>Code</SubType>
     </Compile>
+    <Compile Include="examples\cadet_json.py">
+      <SubType>Code</SubType>
+    </Compile>
     <Compile Include="examples\cadet_library.py">
       <SubType>Code</SubType>
     </Compile>
@@ -76,6 +79,7 @@
     </Compile>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
+    <InterpreterReference Include="CondaEnv|CondaEnv|cadet_devel" />
     <InterpreterReference Include="Global|ContinuumAnalytics|Anaconda37-64" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/cadet/__init__.py b/cadet/__init__.py
index 44f9e87..3a2c4b7 100644
--- a/cadet/__init__.py
+++ b/cadet/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 name = 'CADET-python'
 
+__version__ = 0.4
+
 from .cadet import H5
 from .cadet import Cadet
diff --git a/cadet/cadet.py b/cadet/cadet.py
index afdcfb0..85c7a12 100644
--- a/cadet/cadet.py
+++ b/cadet/cadet.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 import subprocess
 import pprint
 import copy
+import json
 
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -44,6 +45,20 @@ def save(self):
         else:
             print("Filename must be set before save can be used")
 
+    def save_json(self, filename):
+        with Path(filename).open("w") as fp:
+            data = convert_from_numpy(self.root, self.transform)
+            json.dump(data, fp, indent=4, sort_keys=True)
+
+    def load_json(self, filename, update=False):
+        with Path(filename).open("r") as fp:
+            data = json.load(fp)
+            data = recursively_load_dict(data, self.inverse_transform)
+            if update:
+                self.root.update(data)
+            else:
+                self.root = data
+
     def append(self):
         "This can only be used to write new keys to the system, this is faster than having to read the data before writing it"
         if self.filename is not None:
@@ -97,6 +112,35 @@ def run(self, timeout = None, check=None):
         else:
             print("Filename must be set before run can be used")
 
+def convert_from_numpy(data, func):
+    ans = Dict()
+    for key_original,item in data.items():
+        key = func(key_original)
+        if isinstance(item, numpy.ndarray):
+            item = item.tolist()
+        
+        if isinstance(item, numpy.generic):
+            item = item.item()
+
+        if isinstance(item, bytes):
+            item = item.decode('ascii')
+        
+        if isinstance(item, Dict):
+            ans[key_original] = convert_from_numpy(item, func)
+        else:
+            ans[key] = item
+    return ans
+
+def recursively_load_dict( data, func): 
+    ans = Dict()
+    for key_original,item in data.items():
+        key = func(key_original)
+        if isinstance(item, dict):
+            ans[key] = recursively_load_dict(item, func)
+        else:
+            ans[key] = item
+    return ans
+
 def recursively_load( h5file, path, func, paths): 
     ans = Dict()
     if paths is not None:
diff --git a/examples/cadet_json.py b/examples/cadet_json.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15eb106
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/cadet_json.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import cadet
+
+sim = cadet.Cadet()
+sim.filename = r"C:\Users\kosh_000\Documents\Visual Studio 2017\Projects\CADETMatch\Examples\Example1\Dextran\dextran_pulse.h5"
+sim.load()
+
+sim.save_json(r"C:\Users\kosh_000\Documents\Visual Studio 2017\Projects\CADETMatch\Examples\Example1\Dextran\dextran_pulse.json")
+
+sim.load_json(r"C:\Users\kosh_000\Documents\Visual Studio 2017\Projects\CADETMatch\Examples\Example1\Dextran\dextran_pulse.json")
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 04ecac3..36fb7af 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
     
 setuptools.setup(
     name="CADET",
-    version="0.3",
+    version="0.4",
     author="William Heymann",
     author_email="w.heymann@fz-juelich.de",
     description="CADET is a python interface to the CADET chromatography simulator",