diff --git a/parser/body.go b/parser/body.go
index dfa27f7..5def988 100644
--- a/parser/body.go
+++ b/parser/body.go
@@ -21,6 +21,14 @@ func (parser *ParsingOperation) parseBody () (err error) {
 			parser.tree.dataSections[section.name] = section
 			if err != nil { return }
 		case "type":
+			var section *TypeSection
+			section, err = parser.parseTypeSection()
+			if parser.tree.typeSections == nil {
+				parser.tree.typeSections =
+					make(map[string] *TypeSection)
+			}
+			parser.tree.typeSections[section.root.name] = section
+			if err != nil { return }
 		case "face":
 		case "enum":
 		case "func":
diff --git a/parser/data.go b/parser/data.go
index a131d24..47c90c4 100644
--- a/parser/data.go
+++ b/parser/data.go
@@ -94,9 +94,6 @@ func (parser *ParsingOperation) parseObjectInitializationValues () (
 	initializationValues ObjectInitializationValues,
 	err                  error,
 ) {
-	println("BEGIN")
-	defer println("END")
-	
 	initializationValues.attributes = make(map[string] Argument)
 
 	baseIndent := 0
@@ -116,8 +113,6 @@ func (parser *ParsingOperation) parseObjectInitializationValues () (
 		// do not parse any further if the indent has changed
 		if indent != baseIndent { break }
 
-		println("HIT")
-
 		// move on to the beginning of the line, which must contain
 		// a member initialization value
 		err = parser.nextToken(lexer.TokenKindDot)
diff --git a/parser/parser_test.go b/parser/parser_test.go
index 221084f..d628e91 100644
--- a/parser/parser_test.go
+++ b/parser/parser_test.go
@@ -109,3 +109,31 @@ data ro object:Obj
 `, test)
 }
 
+func TestType (test *testing.T) {
+	checkTree ("../tests/parser/type",
+`:arf
+---
+type ro Basic:Int
+type ro BasicInit:Int 6
+type ro Complex:Obj
+	ro that:Basic
+	ro this:Basic
+type ro ComplexInit:Obj
+	ro that:BasicInit
+	ro this:Basic 23
+type ro ComplexWithComplexInit:Obj
+	ro basic:Basic 87
+	ro complex0:Complex
+		.that 98
+		.this 2
+	ro complex1:Complex
+		.that 98902
+		.this 235
+type ro IntArray:{Int ..}
+type ro IntArrayInit:{Int 3}
+	3298
+	923
+	92
+`, test)
+}
+
diff --git a/parser/tree-tostring.go b/parser/tree-tostring.go
index 75698ca..6dcb2ca 100644
--- a/parser/tree-tostring.go
+++ b/parser/tree-tostring.go
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ func (tree *SyntaxTree) ToString (indent int) (output string) {
 	
 	output += doIndent(indent, "---\n")
 
+	typeSectionKeys := sortMapKeysAlphabetically(tree.typeSections)
+	for _, name := range typeSectionKeys {
+		output += tree.typeSections[name].ToString(indent)
+	}
+
 	dataSectionKeys := sortMapKeysAlphabetically(tree.dataSections)
 	for _, name := range dataSectionKeys {
 		output += tree.dataSections[name].ToString(indent)
@@ -246,3 +251,41 @@ func (section *DataSection) ToString (indent int) (output string) {
 	}
 	return
 }
+
+func (section *TypeSection) ToString (indent int) (output string) {
+	output += section.root.ToString(indent, true)
+	return
+}
+
+func (node TypeNode) ToString (indent int, isRoot bool) (output string) {
+	output += doIndent(indent)
+	if isRoot {
+		output += "type "
+	}
+	
+	output += node.permission.ToString() + " "
+	output += node.name + ":"
+	output += node.what.ToString()
+	
+	isComplexInitialization :=
+		node.defaultValue.kind == ArgumentKindObjectInitializationValues ||
+		node.defaultValue.kind == ArgumentKindArrayInitializationValues
+	
+	if node.defaultValue.value == nil {
+		output += "\n"
+		if len(node.children) > 0 {
+			for _, name := range sortMapKeysAlphabetically(node.children) {
+				child := node.children[name]
+				output += child.ToString(indent + 1, false)
+			}
+		}
+	} else if isComplexInitialization {
+		output += "\n"
+		output += node.defaultValue.ToString(indent + 1, true)
+	} else {
+		output += " " + node.defaultValue.ToString(0, false)
+		output += "\n"	
+	}
+
+	return
+}
diff --git a/parser/tree.go b/parser/tree.go
index 9ef87e7..63f885d 100644
--- a/parser/tree.go
+++ b/parser/tree.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ type SyntaxTree struct {
 	author  string
 
 	requires     []string
+	typeSections map[string] *TypeSection
 	dataSections map[string] *DataSection
 }
 
@@ -156,6 +157,23 @@ type DataSection struct {
 	name     string
 	
 	what       Type
-	value      Argument
 	permission types.Permission
+	value      Argument
+}
+
+// TypeNode represents a part of a type.  
+type TypeNode struct {
+	location file.Location
+	name     string
+	
+	what         Type
+	permission   types.Permission
+	defaultValue Argument
+	children     map[string] TypeNode
+}
+
+// TypeSection represents a type definition.
+type TypeSection struct {
+	location file.Location
+	root     TypeNode
 }
diff --git a/parser/type.go b/parser/type.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a954396
--- /dev/null
+++ b/parser/type.go
@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+package parser
+
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/arf/types"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/arf/lexer"
+import "git.tebibyte.media/sashakoshka/arf/infoerr"
+
+// parseTypeSection parses a type definition.
+func (parser *ParsingOperation) parseTypeSection () (
+	section *TypeSection,
+	err     error,
+) {
+	err = parser.expect(lexer.TokenKindName)
+	if err != nil { return }
+	
+	section = &TypeSection { location: parser.token.Location() }
+
+	// parse root node
+	err = parser.nextToken()
+	if err != nil { return }
+	section.root, err = parser.parseTypeNode(0)
+
+	return
+}
+
+// parseTypeNode parses a single type definition node recursively.
+func (parser *ParsingOperation) parseTypeNode (
+	baseIndent int,
+) (
+	node TypeNode,
+	err  error,
+) {
+	node.children = make(map[string] TypeNode)
+
+	// get permission
+	err = parser.expect(lexer.TokenKindPermission)
+	if err != nil { return }
+	node.permission = parser.token.Value().(types.Permission)
+
+	// get name
+	err = parser.nextToken(lexer.TokenKindName)
+	if err != nil { return }
+	node.name = parser.token.Value().(string)
+
+	// get inherited type
+	err = parser.nextToken(lexer.TokenKindColon)
+	if err != nil { return }
+	err = parser.nextToken()
+	if err != nil { return }
+	node.what, err = parser.parseType()
+	if err != nil { return }
+
+	// get value, or child nodes
+	if parser.token.Is(lexer.TokenKindNewline) {
+		err = parser.nextToken()
+		if err != nil { return }
+
+		err = parser.parseTypeNodeBlock(baseIndent, &node)
+		if err != nil { return }
+	} else {
+		node.defaultValue, err = parser.parseArgument()
+		if err != nil { return }
+
+		err = parser.expect(lexer.TokenKindNewline)
+		if err != nil { return }
+		err = parser.nextToken()
+		if err != nil { return }
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+// parseTypeNodeBlock starts on the line after a type node, and parses what
+// could be either an array initialization, an object initialization, or more
+// child nodes. It is similar to parseInitializationValues. If none of these
+// things were found the parser stays at the beginning of the line and the
+// method returns.
+func (parser *ParsingOperation) parseTypeNodeBlock (
+	baseIndent int,
+	parent     *TypeNode,
+) (
+	err error,
+) {
+	// check if line is indented one more than baseIndent
+	if !parser.token.Is(lexer.TokenKindIndent) { return }
+	if parser.token.Value().(int) != baseIndent + 1 { return }
+
+	thingLocation := parser.token.Location()
+	
+	err = parser.nextToken()
+	if err != nil { return }
+
+	if parser.token.Is(lexer.TokenKindDot) {
+
+		// object initialization
+		parser.previousToken()
+		initializationArgument := Argument { location: thingLocation }
+		var initializationValues ObjectInitializationValues
+		initializationValues, err    = parser.parseObjectInitializationValues()
+		initializationArgument.kind  = ArgumentKindObjectInitializationValues
+		initializationArgument.value = &initializationValues
+		parent.defaultValue = initializationArgument
+		
+	} else if parser.token.Is(lexer.TokenKindPermission) {
+
+		// child members
+		parser.previousToken()
+		err = parser.parseTypeNodeChildren(parent)
+		
+	} else {
+	
+		// array initialization
+		parser.previousToken()
+		initializationArgument := Argument { location: thingLocation }
+		var initializationValues ArrayInitializationValues
+		initializationValues, err    = parser.parseArrayInitializationValues()
+		initializationArgument.kind  = ArgumentKindArrayInitializationValues
+		initializationArgument.value = &initializationValues
+		parent.defaultValue = initializationArgument
+	}
+	
+	return
+}
+
+// parseTypeNodeChildren parses child type nodes into a parent type node.
+func (parser *ParsingOperation) parseTypeNodeChildren (
+	parent *TypeNode,
+) (
+	err error,
+) {
+	baseIndent := 0
+	begin      := true
+	
+	for {
+		// if there is no indent we can just stop parsing
+		if !parser.token.Is(lexer.TokenKindIndent) { break }
+		indent := parser.token.Value().(int)
+		
+		if begin == true {
+			baseIndent = indent 
+			begin      = false
+		}
+
+		// do not parse any further if the indent has changed
+		if indent != baseIndent { break }
+
+		// move on to the beginning of the line, which must contain
+		// a type node
+		err = parser.nextToken()
+		if err != nil { return }
+		var child TypeNode
+		child, err = parser.parseTypeNode(baseIndent)
+
+		// if the member has already been listed, throw an error
+		_, exists := parent.children[child.name]
+		if exists {
+			err = parser.token.NewError (
+				"duplicate member \"" + child.name +
+				"\" in object member initialization",
+				infoerr.ErrorKindError)
+			return
+		}
+
+		// store in parent
+		parent.children[child.name] = child
+	}
+	
+	return
+}
diff --git a/tests/parser/type/main.arf b/tests/parser/type/main.arf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b93fc54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/parser/type/main.arf
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+:arf
+---
+type ro Basic:Int
+
+type ro BasicInit:Int 6
+
+type ro IntArray:{Int ..}
+
+type ro IntArrayInit:{Int 3}
+	3298 923 92
+
+type ro Complex:Obj
+	ro that:Basic
+	ro this:Basic
+
+type ro ComplexInit:Obj
+	ro that:BasicInit
+	ro this:Basic 23
+
+type ro ComplexWithComplexInit:Obj
+	ro complex0:Complex
+		.that 98
+		.this 2
+	ro complex1:Complex
+		.that 98902
+		.this 235
+	ro basic:Basic 87