blank inits for new dictionary structures

Author: Kyle Skolfield

gtep/time_nest_data.py

@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 import awkward as ak
+import logging
+import pathlib
+
+logger = logging.getLogger("time_nest_data")
 
 # build helper wrapper thingy for awkward arrays
 # how to interface with config?
-    # one thing it should do is send itself to config, most notably the time dict shenanigans
+# one thing it should do is send itself to config, most notably the time dict shenanigans
+
 
 class timeNestData(object):
     def __init__(self):
-        pass
+        pass

gtep/time_period_data.py

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import awkward as ak
+import logging
+import pathlib
+
+logger = logging.getLogger("time_period_data")
+
+# build helper wrapper thingy for awkward arrays
+# how to interface with config?
+# one thing it should do is send itself to config, most notably the time dict shenanigans
+
+
+class timePeriodData(object):
+    @staticmethod
+    def empty_time_period_dict():
+        """_summary_
+
+        Returns:
+            _type_: _description_
+        """
+        return {"name": None, "level": None}
+
+    def __init__(self, source=None, file_type=None):
+        """
+        Create a new timePeriodData object to wrap a * dictionary with some helper methods.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        source: dict, str, timePeriodData, or None (optional)
+            If dict, an initial * dictionary
+            If str, a path to a file parsable as a dictionary
+            If timePeriodData, the original is copied into the new timePeriodData
+            If None, a blank dictionary is created
+        """
+        pass