diff --git a/History.txt b/History.txt
index 931c5a2..163113d 100644
--- a/History.txt
+++ b/History.txt
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 == 0.8.0 / 2008-
 
-* 1 major enhancement
+* 2 major enhancements
   - Refactored the coderay and graphviz filters into helper methods
     accessible from ERB
-* 1 minor enhancement
+  - Added support for partials
+* 2 minor enhancements
   - Added a template file for creating Atom feeds
   - The SITE configuration is available in pages and layouts as
     the @config variable
diff --git a/lib/webby.rb b/lib/webby.rb
index 83d1df5..7ae6fec 100644
--- a/lib/webby.rb
+++ b/lib/webby.rb
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def self.exclude
   # modification time of the file is important.
   #
   def self.cairn
-    @cairn ||= File.join(site.output_dir, '.cairn')
+    @cairn ||= ::File.join(site.output_dir, '.cairn')
   end
 
   # Returns the library path for Webby. If any arguments are given,
@@ -124,9 +124,9 @@ def self.path( *args )
   # the _filename_ does not have to be equivalent to the directory.
   #
   def self.require_all_libs_relative_to( fname, dir = nil )
-    dir ||= File.basename(fname, '.*')
-    search_me = File.expand_path(
-        File.join(File.dirname(fname), dir, '**', '*.rb'))
+    dir ||= ::File.basename(fname, '.*')
+    search_me = ::File.expand_path(
+        ::File.join(::File.dirname(fname), dir, '*.rb'))
 
     Dir.glob(search_me).sort.each {|rb| require rb}
   end
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ def try_require( lib )
   false
 end
 
-Webby.require_all_libs_relative_to __FILE__
+Webby.require_all_libs_relative_to(__FILE__)
 
 end  # unless defined?
 
diff --git a/lib/webby/auto_builder.rb b/lib/webby/auto_builder.rb
index eaa11b9..bead973 100644
--- a/lib/webby/auto_builder.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/auto_builder.rb
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def update( *events )
       @log.debug "changed #{evt.path}"
       next unless test ?f, evt.path
       next if evt.path =~ ::Webby.exclude
-      Resource.new evt.path
+      Resources.new evt.path
     end
 
     @builder.run :load_files => false
diff --git a/lib/webby/builder.rb b/lib/webby/builder.rb
index f7b73ec..25e1e14 100644
--- a/lib/webby/builder.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/builder.rb
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ def run( opts = {} )
     load_files if opts[:load_files]
     loop_check
 
-    Resource.pages.each do |page|
+    Resources.pages.each do |page|
       next unless page.dirty? or opts[:rebuild]
 
       @log.info "creating #{page.destination}"
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ def run( opts = {} )
       FileUtils.mkdir_p ::File.dirname(page.destination)
 
       # copy the resource to the output directory if it is static
-      if page.is_static?
+      if page.instance_of? Resources::Static
         FileUtils.cp page.path, page.destination
         FileUtils.chmod 0644, page.destination
 
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ def load_files
     ::Find.find(layout_dir, content_dir) do |path|
       next unless test ?f, path
       next if path =~ ::Webby.exclude
-      Resource.new path
+      Resources.new path
     end
   end
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ def load_files
   # error if one is detected.
   #
   def loop_check
-    layouts = Resource.layouts
+    layouts = Resources.layouts
 
     layouts.each do |lyt|
       stack = []
diff --git a/lib/webby/filters.rb b/lib/webby/filters.rb
index 90f0878..a16b869 100644
--- a/lib/webby/filters.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/filters.rb
@@ -90,4 +90,6 @@ def handle(filter, handler, *args)
 end  # module Filters
 end  # module Webby
 
+Webby.require_all_libs_relative_to(__FILE__)
+
 # EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/helpers.rb b/lib/webby/helpers.rb
index d56e822..103d0c8 100644
--- a/lib/webby/helpers.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/helpers.rb
@@ -27,4 +27,6 @@ def self.register( helper )
 end  # module Helper
 end  # module Webby
 
+Webby.require_all_libs_relative_to(__FILE__)
+
 # EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/helpers/url_helper.rb b/lib/webby/helpers/url_helper.rb
index e51d905..87a6768 100644
--- a/lib/webby/helpers/url_helper.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/helpers/url_helper.rb
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ def url_for( *args )
     anchor = opts.delete(:anchor)
     escape = opts.has_key?(:escape) ? opts.delte(:escape) : true
 
-    url = Webby::Resource === obj ? obj.url : obj.to_s
+    url = Webby::Resources::Resource === obj ? obj.url : obj.to_s
     url = escape_once(url) if escape
     url << "#" << anchor if anchor
 
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ def url_for( *args )
   # method for final URL creation; see the url_for method for
   # documentation on those options.
   #
-  # The PagesDB#find method is used to locate the page; see the find method
-  # for the available options.
+  # The Resources::DB#find method is used to locate the page; see the find
+  # method for the available options.
   #
   # ==== Examples
   #
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def link_to( name, *args )
     attrs = opts.delete(:attrs)
 
     url = case url
-      when String, Webby::Resource
+      when String, Webby::Resources::Resource
         self.url_for(url, opts)
       when :back
         'javascript:history.back()'
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ def _find_page( args )
     link_opts = opts.delete(:url) || {}
     link_opts[:attrs] = opts.delete(:attrs)
 
-    if Webby::Resource === name
+    if Webby::Resources::Resource === name
       p, name = name, nil
     elsif opts.empty? && name
       p = @pages.find(Webby.site.find_by.to_sym => name)
diff --git a/lib/webby/renderer.rb b/lib/webby/renderer.rb
index 912d749..efe32c7 100644
--- a/lib/webby/renderer.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/renderer.rb
@@ -5,10 +5,6 @@
 unless defined? ::Webby::Renderer
 
 require 'erb'
-try_require 'bluecloth'
-try_require 'redcloth'
-try_require 'haml'
-try_require 'sass'
 
 module Webby
 
@@ -27,7 +23,10 @@ module Webby
 class Renderer
   include ERB::Util
 
-  class Error < StandardError; end    # :nodoc:
+  # :stopdoc:
+  class Error < StandardError; end
+  @@stack = []
+  # :startdoc:
 
   # call-seq:
   #    Renderer.write( page )
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@ def self.write( page )
       ::File.open(page.destination, 'w') do |fd|
         fd.write renderer.layout_page
       end
-      break unless renderer.__send__(:next_page)
+      break unless renderer.__send__(:_next_page)
     }
   end
 
@@ -55,13 +54,13 @@ def self.write( page )
   # render the filtered page into the desired layout.
   #
   def initialize( page )
-    unless page.is_page?
+    unless page.instance_of? Resources::Page
       raise ArgumentError,
             "only page resources can be rendered '#{page.path}'"
     end
 
     @page = page
-    @pages = Resource.pages
+    @pages = Resources.pages
     @content = nil
     @config = ::Webby.site
 
@@ -77,19 +76,25 @@ def initialize( page )
   # page's meta-data.
   #
   def layout_page
-    layouts = Resource.layouts
+    layouts = Resources.layouts
     obj = @page
     str = @page.render(self)
 
+    @@stack << @page.path
     loop do
       lyt = layouts.find :filename => obj.layout
       break if lyt.nil?
 
-      @content, str = str, ::Webby::File.read(lyt.path)
-      str = Filters.process(self, lyt, str)
+      @content, str = str, ::Webby::Resources::File.read(lyt.path)
+      str = _track_rendering(lyt.path) {
+        Filters.process(self, lyt, str)
+      }
       @content, obj = nil, lyt
     end
 
+    @@stack.pop if @page.path == @@stack.last
+    raise Error, "rendering stack corrupted" unless @@stack.empty?
+
     str
   rescue => err
     @log.error "while rendering page '#{@page.path}'"
@@ -103,7 +108,28 @@ def layout_page
   # determined from the page's meta-data.
   #
   def render_page
-    Filters.process(self, @page, ::Webby::File.read(@page.path))
+    _track_rendering(@page.path) {
+      Filters.process(self, @page, ::Webby::Resources::File.read(@page.path))
+    }
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    partial( name )    => string
+  #
+  # Finds the partial identified by _name_ and returns the contents after
+  # rendering. Rendering if performed by filtering the contents of the
+  # partial using the filters identified in the meta-data of the partial.
+  #
+  def partial( name, opts = {} )
+    fn = '_' + name
+    part = Resources.partials.find(
+        :filename => fn, :in_directory => @page.dir ) rescue nil
+    part ||= Resources.partials.find(:filename => fn)
+    raise Error, "could not find partial '#{name}'" if part.nil?
+
+    _track_rendering(part.path) {
+      Filters.process(self, part, ::Webby::Resources::File.read(part.path))
+    }
   end
 
   # call-seq:
@@ -141,13 +167,13 @@ def get_binding
   private
 
   # call-seq:
-  #    next_page    => true or false
+  #    _next_page    => true or false
   #
   # Returns +true+ if there is a next page to render. Returns +false+ if
   # there is no next page or if pagination has not been configured for the
   # current page.
   #
-  def next_page
+  def _next_page
     return false unless defined? @pager and @pager
 
     # go to the next page; break out if there is no next page
@@ -161,9 +187,39 @@ def next_page
     true
   end
 
+  # call-seq:
+  #    _track_rendering( path ) {block}
+  #
+  # Keep track of the page rendering for the given _path_. The _block_ is
+  # where the the page will be rendered.
+  #
+  # This method keeps a stack of the current pages being rendeered. It looks
+  # for duplicates in the stack -- an indication of a rendering loop. When a
+  # rendering loop is detected, an error is raised.
+  #
+  # This method returns whatever is returned from the _block_.
+  #
+  def _track_rendering( path )
+    loop_error = @@stack.include? path
+    @@stack << path
+
+    if loop_error
+      msg = "rendering loop detected for '#{path}'\n"
+      msg << "    current rendering stack\n\t"
+      msg << @@stack.join("\n\t")
+      raise Error, msg
+    end
+
+    yield
+  ensure
+    @@stack.pop if path == @@stack.last
+  end
+
 end  # class Renderer
 end  # module Webby
 
+Webby.require_all_libs_relative_to(__FILE__, 'stelan')
+
 end  # unless defined?
 
 # EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/resource.rb b/lib/webby/resource.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 8030125..0000000
--- a/lib/webby/resource.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,293 +0,0 @@
-# $Id$
-
-module Webby
-
-# A Webby::Resource is any file that can be found in the content directory
-# or in the layout directory. This class contains information about the
-# resources available to Webby. This information includes the resource
-# type (static, page, layout), if the resource is dirty (it needs to be
-# rendered), the output location of the rendered resource, etc.
-#
-# A resource is a "layout" if the resource is found in the layout
-# directory. Static and page resources are found in the content directory.
-#
-# A resource is considered static only if it *does not* contain a YAML
-# meta-data header at the top of the file. These resources will be copied
-# as-is from the content directory to the output directory.
-#
-# If a resouce does have meta-data, then it will be processed (i.e.
-# rendered/filtered) by Webby, and the rendered results will be written to
-# the output directory.
-#
-class Resource
-
-  instance_methods.each do |m|
-      undef_method(m) unless m =~ %r/\A__/ ||
-                             m == 'class'
-  end
-
-  class << self
-    # Returns the pages hash object.
-    def pages
-      @pages ||= PagesDB.new
-    end
-
-    # Returns the layouts hash object.
-    def layouts
-      @layouts ||= PagesDB.new
-    end
-
-    # Clear the contents of the +layouts+ and the +pages+ hash objects.
-    def clear
-      self.pages.clear
-      self.layouts.clear
-    end
-  end  # class << self
-
-  # The full path to the resource file
-  attr_reader :path
-
-  # The directory of the resource excluding the content directory
-  attr_reader :dir
-
-  # The resource filename excluding path and extension
-  attr_reader :filename
-
-  # Extesion of the resource file
-  attr_reader :ext
-
-  # Resource file modification time
-  attr_reader :mtime
-
-  # Resource page number (if needed)
-  attr_reader :number
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    Resource.new( filename )    => resource
-  #
-  # Creates a new resource object given the _filename_.
-  #
-  def initialize( fn )
-    @path     = fn.sub(%r/\A(?:\.\/|\/)/o, '').freeze
-    @dir      = Webby::File.dirname(@path)
-    @filename = Webby::File.basename(@path)
-    @ext      = Webby::File.extname(@path)
-    @mtime    = ::File.mtime @path
-
-    @number = nil
-    @rendering = false
-
-    # deal with the meta-data
-    @mdata = ::Webby::File.meta_data(@path)
-    @have_mdata = !@mdata.nil?
-
-    @mdata ||= {}
-    @mdata = ::Webby.site.page_defaults.merge(@mdata) if is_page?
-    @mdata.sanitize!
-
-    self.class.pages << self if is_page? or is_static?
-    self.class.layouts << self if is_layout?
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    equal?( other )    => true or false
-  #
-  # Returns +true+ if the path of this resource is equivalent to the path of
-  # the _other_ resource. Returns +false+ if this is not the case.
-  #
-  def equal?( other )
-    return false unless self.class == other.class
-    @path == other.path
-  end
-  alias :== :equal?
-  alias :eql? :equal?
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    resource <=> other    => -1, 0, +1, or nil
-  #
-  # Resource comparison operates on the full path of the resource objects
-  # and uses the standard String comparison operator. Returns +nil+ if
-  # _other_ is not a Resource instance.
-  #
-  def <=>( other )
-    return unless self.class == other.class
-    @path <=> other.path
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    extension    => string
-  #
-  # Returns the extension that will be appended to the output destination
-  # filename. The extension is determined by looking at the following:
-  #
-  # * this resource's meta-data for an 'extension' property
-  # * the meta-data of this resource's layout for an 'extension' property
-  # * the extension of this resource file
-  #
-  def extension
-    return @mdata['extension'] if @mdata.has_key? 'extension'
-
-    if @mdata.has_key? 'layout'
-      lyt = self.class.layouts.find :filename => @mdata['layout']
-      ext = lyt ? lyt.extension : nil
-      return ext if ext
-    end
-
-    return (is_layout? ? nil : @ext)
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    destination    => string
-  #
-  # Returns the path in the output directory where the results of rendering
-  # this resource should be stored. This path is used to determine if the
-  # resource is dirty and in need of rendering.
-  #
-  # The destination for any resource can be overridden by explicitly setting
-  # the 'destination' property in the resource's meta-data.
-  #
-  def destination
-    return @dest if defined? @dest and @dest
-    return @dest = ::Webby.cairn if is_layout?
-
-    @dest = if @mdata.has_key? 'destination' then @mdata['destination']
-            else ::File.join(dir, filename) end
-
-    @dest = ::File.join(::Webby.site.output_dir, @dest)
-    @dest << @number.to_s if @number
-
-    ext = extension
-    unless ext.nil? or ext.empty?
-      @dest << '.'
-      @dest << ext
-    end
-    @dest
-  end
-
-  # call-seq
-  #    url    => string or nil
-  #
-  # Returns a string suitable for use as a URL linking to this page. Nil
-  # is returned for layouts.
-  #
-  def url
-    return nil if is_layout?
-    return @url if defined? @url and @url
-
-    @url = destination.sub(::Webby.site.output_dir, '')
-    @url = File.dirname(@url) if filename == 'index'
-    @url
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    resource.number = Integer
-  #
-  # Sets the page number for the current resource to the given integer. This
-  # number is used to modify the output destination for resources that
-  # require pagination.
-  #
-  def number=( num )
-    @number = num
-    @dest = nil
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    render   => string
-  #
-  # Creates a new Webby::Renderer instance and uses that instance to render
-  # the resource contents using the configured filter(s). The filter(s) to
-  # use is defined in the resource's meta-data as the 'filter' key.
-  #
-  # Note, this only renders this resource. The returned string does not
-  # include any layout rendering.
-  #
-  def render( renderer = nil )
-    raise Error, "page '#@path' is in a rendering loop" if @rendering
-
-    @rendering = true
-    renderer ||= Renderer.new(self)
-    content = renderer.render_page
-    @rendering = false
-
-    return content
-
-  rescue
-    @rendering = false
-    raise
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    is_layout?    => true or false
-  #
-  # Returns +true+ if this resource is a layout.
-  #
-  def is_layout?
-    @is_layout ||=
-        !(%r/\A(?:\.\/|\/)?#{::Webby.site.layout_dir}\//o =~ @path).nil?
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    is_static?    => true or false
-  #
-  # Returns +true+ if this resource is a static file.
-  #
-  def is_static?
-    !@have_mdata
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    is_page?    => true or false
-  #
-  # Returns +true+ if this resource is a page suitable for rendering.
-  #
-  def is_page?
-    @have_mdata and !is_layout?
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    dirty?    => true or false
-  #
-  # Returns +true+ if this resource is newer than its corresponding output
-  # product. The resource needs to be rendered (if a page or layout) or
-  # copied (if a static file) to the output directory.
-  #
-  def dirty?
-    return @mdata['dirty'] if @mdata.has_key? 'dirty'
-
-    # if the destination file does not exist, then we are dirty
-    return true unless test ?e, destination
-
-    # if this file's mtime is larger than the destination file's
-    # mtime, then we are dirty
-    dirty = @mtime > ::File.mtime(destination)
-    return dirty if is_static? or dirty
-
-    # check to see if the layout is dirty, and it it is then we
-    # are dirty, too
-    if @mdata.has_key? 'layout'
-      lyt = self.class.layouts.find :filename => @mdata['layout']
-      unless lyt.nil?
-        return true if lyt.dirty?
-      end
-    end
-
-    # if we got here, then we are not dirty
-    false
-  end
-
-  # call-seq:
-  #    method_missing( symbol [, *args, &block] )    => result
-  #
-  # Invoked by Ruby when a message is sent to the resource that it cannot
-  # handle. The default behavior is to convert _symbol_ to a string and
-  # search for that string in the resource's meta-data. If found, the
-  # meta-data item is returned; otherwise, +nil+ is returned.
-  #
-  def method_missing( name, *a, &b )
-    @mdata[name.to_s]
-  end
-
-end  # class Resource
-end  # module Webby
-
-# EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/resources.rb b/lib/webby/resources.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a624477
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/webby/resources.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+# $Id$
+
+module Webby::Resources
+
+  class << self
+    # Returns the pages hash object.
+    #
+    def pages
+      @pages ||= ::Webby::Resources::DB.new
+    end
+
+    # Returns the layouts hash object.
+    #
+    def layouts
+      @layouts ||= ::Webby::Resources::DB.new
+    end
+
+    # Returns the partials hash object.
+    #
+    def partials
+      @partials ||= ::Webby::Resources::DB.new
+    end
+
+    # Clear the contents of the +layouts+, +pages+ and +partials+ hash
+    # objects.
+    #
+    def clear
+      self.pages.clear
+      self.layouts.clear
+      self.partials.clear
+    end
+
+    # call-seq:
+    #    Resources.new( filename )
+    #
+    #
+    def new( fn )
+      # normalize the path
+      fn = self.path(fn)
+
+      # see if we are dealing with a layout
+      if %r/\A#{::Webby.site.layout_dir}\//o =~ fn
+        r = ::Webby::Resources::Layout.new(fn)
+        self.layouts << r
+        return r
+      end
+
+      # see if we are dealing with a partial
+      filename = ::Webby::Resources::File.basename(fn)
+      if %r/\A_/o =~ filename
+        r = ::Webby::Resources::Partial.new(fn)
+        self.partials << r
+        return r
+      end
+
+      # see if we are dealing with a static resource
+      meta = ::Webby::Resources::File.meta_data(fn)
+      if meta.nil?
+        r = ::Webby::Resources::Static.new(fn)
+        self.pages << r
+        return r
+      end
+
+      # this is a renderable page
+      r = ::Webby::Resources::Page.new(fn)
+      self.pages << r
+      return r
+    end
+
+    # Returns a normalized path for the given filename.
+    #
+    def path( filename )
+      filename.sub(%r/\A(?:\.\/|\/)/o, '').freeze
+    end
+
+  end  # class << self
+
+end  # module Webby::Resources
+
+Webby.require_all_libs_relative_to(__FILE__)
+
+# EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/pages_db.rb b/lib/webby/resources/db.rb
similarity index 96%
rename from lib/webby/pages_db.rb
rename to lib/webby/resources/db.rb
index 5af1dbc..ebd0fc2 100644
--- a/lib/webby/pages_db.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/resources/db.rb
@@ -1,18 +1,18 @@
 # $Id$
 
-module Webby
+module Webby::Resources
 
 # A rudimentary "database" for holding resource objects and finding them.
 # The database is held in a Ruby hash keyed by the directories in the
 # content folder.
 #
-class PagesDB
+class DB
 
   # call-seq:
-  #    PagesDB.new
+  #    DB.new
   #
-  # Create a new pages database object. This is used to store resources and
-  # to find them by their attributes.
+  # Create a new resources database object. This is used to store resources
+  # and to find them by their attributes.
   #
   def initialize
     @db = Hash.new {|h,k| h[k] = []}
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ def children( page, opts = {} )
     ary
   end
 
-end  # class PagesDB
+end  # class DB
 end  # module Webby
 
 # EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/file.rb b/lib/webby/resources/file.rb
similarity index 80%
rename from lib/webby/file.rb
rename to lib/webby/resources/file.rb
index 112dcdf..55b6cf0 100644
--- a/lib/webby/file.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/resources/file.rb
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 
 require 'yaml'
 
-module Webby
+module Webby::Resources
 
-# The Webby::File class is identical to the core Ruby file class except for
-# YAML meta-data stored at the top of the file. This meta-data is made
-# available through the <code>meta_data</code> and <code>meta_data=</code>
-# functions.
+# The Webby::Resources::File class is identical to the core Ruby file class
+# except for YAML meta-data stored at the top of the file. This meta-data
+# is made available through the <code>meta_data</code> and
+# <code>meta_data=</code> functions.
 #
 # The meta-data data must be found between two YAML block separators "---",
 # each on their own line.
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class File < ::File
 
   class << self
     # call-seq:
-    #    Webby::File.read( name [, length [, offset]])    => string
+    #    File.read( name [, length [, offset]])    => string
     #
     # Opens the file, optionally seeks to the given _offset_, then returns
     # _length_ bytes (defaulting to the rest of the file). +read+ ensures
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ def read( name, *args )
     end
 
     # call-seq:
-    #    Webby::File.readlines( name, sep_string = $/ )    => array
+    #    File.readlines( name, sep_string = $/ )    => array
     #
     # Reads the entire file specified by _name_ as individual lines, and
     # returns those lines in an array. Lines are separated by _sep_string_.
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ def readlines( name, sep = $/ )
     end
 
     # call-seq:
-    #    Webby::File.meta_data( name )    => object or nil
+    #    File.meta_data( name )    => object or nil
     #
     # Reads the meta-data from the file specified by _name_. +meta_data+
     # ensures the files is closed before returning.
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ def meta_data( name )
     end
 
     # call-seq:
-    #    Webby::File.dirname( filename )    => dir_name
+    #    File.dirname( filename )    => dir_name
     #
     # Returns all components of the _filename_ except the last one. The
     # filename must be formed using forward slashes ("/") regardless of the
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ def dirname( fn )
     end
 
     # call-seq:
-    #    Webby::File.basename( filename )    => base_name
+    #    File.basename( filename )    => base_name
     #
     # Returns the last component of the _filename_, which must be formed
     # using forward slashes ("/"regardless of the separator used on the
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ def basename( fn )
     end
 
     # call-seq:
-    #    Webby::File.extname( filename )    => ext_name
+    #    File.extname( filename )    => ext_name
     #
     # Returns the extension (the portion of file name in path after the
     # period). This method excludes the period from the extension name.
@@ -104,16 +104,16 @@ def extname( fn )
   end
 
   # call-seq:
-  #    Webby::File.new( filename, mode = "r" )          => file
-  #    Webby::File.new( filename [, mode [, perm]] )    => file
+  #    File.new( filename, mode = "r" )          => file
+  #    File.new( filename [, mode [, perm]] )    => file
   #
   # Opens the file named by _filename_ according to _mode_ (default is 'r')
-  # and returns a new +Webby::File+ object. See the description of class
-  # +IO+ for a description of _mode_. The file _mode_ may optionally be
-  # specified as a +Fixnum+ by or-ing together the flags (+O_RDONLY+ etc,
-  # again described under +IO+). Optional permission bits may be given in
-  # _perm_. These _mode_ and permission bits are platform dependent; on Unix
-  # systems, see +open(2)+ for details. 
+  # and returns a new +Webby::Resources::File+ object. See the description
+  # of class +IO+ for a description of _mode_. The file _mode_ may
+  # optionally be specified as a +Fixnum+ by or-ing together the flags
+  # (+O_RDONLY+ etc, again described under +IO+). Optional permission bits
+  # may be given in _perm_. These _mode_ and permission bits are platform
+  # dependent; on Unix systems, see +open(2)+ for details. 
   #
   #    f = File.new("testfile", "r")
   #    f = File.new("newfile",  "w+")
@@ -218,6 +218,6 @@ def end_of_meta_data
   end
 
 end  # class File
-end  # module Webby
+end  # module Webby::Resources
 
 # EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/resources/layout.rb b/lib/webby/resources/layout.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b142a28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/webby/resources/layout.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# $Id$
+
+require Webby.libpath(*%w[webby resources resource])
+
+module Webby::Resources
+
+# A Layout is any file that is found in the layout folder of the webiste
+# directory. Layouts container the common elements of all the pages in a
+# website, and pages from the content folder are rendered into the layout.
+#
+class Layout < Resource
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    Layout.new( path )
+  #
+  # Creates a new Layout object given the full path to the layout file.
+  #
+  def initialize( fn )
+    super
+
+    @mdata = ::Webby::Resources::File.meta_data(@path)
+    @mdata ||= {}
+    @mdata.sanitize!
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    destination    => string
+  #
+  # The output file destination for the layout. This is the ".cairn" file in
+  # the output folder. It is used to determine if the layout is newer than
+  # the build products.
+  #
+  def destination
+    ::Webby.cairn
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    extension    => string or nil
+  #
+  # Returns the extension to be applied to output files rendered by the
+  # layotut. This will either be a string or +nil+ if the layout does not
+  # specify an extension to use.
+  #
+  def extension
+    return @mdata['extension'] if @mdata.has_key? 'extension'
+
+    if @mdata.has_key? 'layout'
+      lyt = ::Webby::Resources.layouts.find :filename => @mdata['layout']
+      ext = lyt ? lyt.extension : nil
+    end
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    url    => nil
+  #
+  # Layouts do not have a URL. This method will alwasy return +nil+.
+  #
+  def url
+    nil
+  end
+
+end  # class Layout
+end  # module Webby::Resources
+
+# EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/resources/page.rb b/lib/webby/resources/page.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d9d172
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/webby/resources/page.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+# $Id$
+
+require Webby.libpath(*%w[webby resources resource])
+
+module Webby::Resources
+
+# A Page is a file in the content folder that contains YAML meta-data at
+# the top of the file. Pages are processed by the Webby rendering engine
+# and then inserted into the desired layout. The string resulting from
+# processing and layout is then written to the output directory.
+#
+class Page < Resource
+
+  # Resource page number (if needed)
+  attr_reader :number
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    Resource.new( path )
+  #
+  # Creates a new page object from the full path to the page file.
+  #
+  def initialize( fn )
+    super
+    @number = nil
+
+    @mdata = ::Webby::Resources::File.meta_data(@path)
+    @mdata ||= {}
+    @mdata = ::Webby.site.page_defaults.merge(@mdata)
+    @mdata.sanitize!
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    render   => string
+  #
+  # Creates a new Webby::Renderer instance and uses that instance to render
+  # the page contents using the configured filter(s). The filter(s) to
+  # use is defined in the page's meta-data as the 'filter' key.
+  #
+  # Note, this only renders this page. The returned string does not include
+  # any layout rendering.
+  #
+  def render( renderer = nil )
+    renderer ||= ::Webby::Renderer.new(self)
+    renderer.render_page
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    page.number = Integer
+  #
+  # Sets the page number for the current resource to the given integer. This
+  # number is used to modify the output destination for resources that
+  # require pagination.
+  #
+  def number=( num )
+    @number = num
+    @dest = nil
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    destination    => string
+  #
+  # Returns the path in the output directory where the rendered page should
+  # be stored. This path is used to determine if the page is dirty and in
+  # need of rendering.
+  #
+  # The destination for a page can be overridden by explicitly setting
+  # the 'destination' property in the page's meta-data.
+  #
+  def destination
+    return @dest if defined? @dest and @dest
+
+    @dest = if @mdata.has_key? 'destination' then @mdata['destination']
+            else ::File.join(dir, filename) end
+
+    @dest = ::File.join(::Webby.site.output_dir, @dest)
+    @dest << @number.to_s if @number
+
+    ext = extension
+    unless ext.nil? or ext.empty?
+      @dest << '.' << ext
+    end
+    @dest
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    extension    => string
+  #
+  # Returns the extension that will be appended to the output destination
+  # filename. The extension is determined by looking at the following:
+  #
+  # * this page's meta-data for an 'extension' property
+  # * the meta-data of this page's layout for an 'extension' property
+  # * the extension of this page file
+  #
+  def extension
+    return @mdata['extension'] if @mdata.has_key? 'extension'
+
+    if @mdata.has_key? 'layout'
+      lyt = ::Webby::Resources.layouts.find :filename => @mdata['layout']
+      ext = lyt ? lyt.extension : nil
+      return ext if ext
+    end
+    @ext
+  end
+
+end  # class Page
+end  # module Webby::Resources
+
+# EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/resources/partial.rb b/lib/webby/resources/partial.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a68bb5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/webby/resources/partial.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+# $Id$
+
+require Webby.libpath(*%w[webby resources resource])
+
+module Webby::Resources
+
+# A Partial is a file in the content folder whose filename starts with an
+# underscore "_" character. Partials contain text that can be included into
+# other pages. Partials are not standalone pages, and they will never
+# correspond directly to an output file.
+#
+# Partials can contain YAML meta-data at the top of the file. This
+# information is only used to determin the filters to apply to the
+# partial. If there is no meta-data, then the partial text is used "as is"
+# without any processing by the Webby rendering engine.
+#
+class Partial < Resource
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    Partial.new( path )
+  #
+  # Creates a new Partial object given the full path to the partial file.
+  # Partial filenames start with an underscore (this is an enforced
+  # convention).
+  #
+  def initialize( fn )
+    super
+
+    @mdata = ::Webby::Resources::File.meta_data(@path)
+    @mdata ||= {}
+    @mdata.sanitize!
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    dirty?    => true or false
+  #
+  # Returns +true+ if this resource is newer than its corresponding output
+  # product. The resource needs to be rendered (if a page or layout) or
+  # copied (if a static file) to the output directory.
+  #
+  def dirty?
+    return @mdata['dirty'] if @mdata.has_key? 'dirty'
+
+    # if the destination file does not exist, then we are dirty
+    return true unless test(?e, destination)
+
+    # if this file's mtime is larger than the destination file's
+    # mtime, then we are dirty
+    dirty = @mtime > ::File.mtime(destination)
+    return dirty if dirty
+
+    # if we got here, then we are not dirty
+    false
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    destination    => string
+  #
+  # The output file destination for the partial. This is the ".cairn" file in
+  # the output folder. It is used to determine if the partial is newer than
+  # the build products.
+  #
+  def destination
+    ::Webby.cairn
+  end
+
+  alias :extension :ext
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    url    => nil
+  #
+  # Partials do not have a URL. This method will alwasy return +nil+.
+  #
+  def url
+    nil
+  end
+
+end  # class Partial
+end  # module Webby::Resources
+
+# EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/resources/resource.rb b/lib/webby/resources/resource.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..90d55d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/webby/resources/resource.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+# $Id$
+
+unless defined? Webby::Resources::Resource
+
+module Webby::Resources
+
+# A Webby::Resource is any file that can be found in the content directory
+# or in the layout directory. This class contains information about the
+# resources available to Webby.
+#
+class Resource
+
+  instance_methods.each do |m|
+      undef_method(m) unless m =~ %r/\A__|\?$/ ||
+                             m == 'class'
+  end
+
+  # The full path to the resource file
+  attr_reader :path
+
+  # The directory of the resource excluding the content directory
+  attr_reader :dir
+
+  # The resource filename excluding path and extension
+  attr_reader :filename
+
+  # Extesion of the resource file
+  attr_reader :ext
+
+  # Resource file modification time
+  attr_reader :mtime
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    Resource.new( filename )    => resource
+  #
+  # Creates a new resource object given the _filename_.
+  #
+  def initialize( fn )
+    @path     = fn
+    @dir      = ::Webby::Resources::File.dirname(@path)
+    @filename = ::Webby::Resources::File.basename(@path)
+    @ext      = ::Webby::Resources::File.extname(@path)
+    @mtime    = ::File.mtime @path
+
+    @mdata = @@mdata ||= {}
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    equal?( other )    => true or false
+  #
+  # Returns +true+ if the path of this resource is equivalent to the path of
+  # the _other_ resource. Returns +false+ if this is not the case.
+  #
+  def equal?( other )
+    return false unless other.kind_of? ::Webby::Resources::Resource
+    @path == other.path
+  end
+  alias :== :equal?
+  alias :eql? :equal?
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    resource <=> other    => -1, 0, +1, or nil
+  #
+  # Resource comparison operates on the full path of the resource objects
+  # and uses the standard String comparison operator. Returns +nil+ if
+  # _other_ is not a Resource instance.
+  #
+  def <=>( other )
+    return unless other.kind_of? ::Webby::Resources::Resource
+    @path <=> other.path
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    method_missing( symbol [, *args, &block] )    => result
+  #
+  # Invoked by Ruby when a message is sent to the resource that it cannot
+  # handle. The default behavior is to convert _symbol_ to a string and
+  # search for that string in the resource's meta-data. If found, the
+  # meta-data item is returned; otherwise, +nil+ is returned.
+  #
+  def method_missing( name, *a, &b )
+    @mdata[name.to_s]
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    dirty?    => true or false
+  #
+  # Returns +true+ if this resource is newer than its corresponding output
+  # product. The resource needs to be rendered (if a page or layout) or
+  # copied (if a static file) to the output directory.
+  #
+  def dirty?
+    return @mdata['dirty'] if @mdata.has_key? 'dirty'
+
+    # if the destination file does not exist, then we are dirty
+    return true unless test(?e, destination)
+
+    # if this file's mtime is larger than the destination file's
+    # mtime, then we are dirty
+    dirty = @mtime > ::File.mtime(destination)
+    return dirty if dirty
+
+    # check to see if the layout is dirty, and if it is then we
+    # are dirty, too
+    if @mdata.has_key? 'layout'
+      lyt = ::Webby::Resources.layouts.find :filename => @mdata['layout']
+      unless lyt.nil?
+        return true if lyt.dirty?
+      end
+    end
+
+    # if we got here, then we are not dirty
+    false
+  end
+
+  # call-seq
+  #    url    => string or nil
+  #
+  # Returns a string suitable for use as a URL linking to this page. Nil
+  # is returned for layouts.
+  #
+  def url
+    return @url if defined? @url and @url
+
+    @url = destination.sub(::Webby.site.output_dir, '')
+    @url = File.dirname(@url) if filename == 'index'
+    @url
+  end
+
+  # :stopdoc:
+  def destination
+    raise NotImplementedError
+  end
+
+  def extension
+    raise NotImplementedError
+  end
+  # :startdoc:
+
+end  # class Resource
+end  # module Webby::Resources
+
+end  # unless defined?
+
+# EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/resources/static.rb b/lib/webby/resources/static.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..272d517
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/webby/resources/static.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# $Id$
+
+require Webby.libpath(*%w[webby resources resource])
+
+module Webby::Resources
+
+# A Static resource is any file in the content folder that does not
+# contain YAML meta-data at the top of the file and does not start with
+# and underscore "_" character (those are partials). Static resources will
+# be copied as-is from the content directory to the output directory.
+#
+class Static < Resource
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    render   => string
+  #
+  # Returns the contents of the file.
+  #
+  def render
+    ::File.read(path)
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    dirty?    => true or false
+  #
+  # Returns +true+ if this static file is newer than its corresponding output
+  # product. The static file needs to be copied to the output directory.
+  #
+  def dirty?
+    return true unless test(?e, destination)
+    @mtime > ::File.mtime(destination)
+  end
+
+  # call-seq:
+  #    destination    => string
+  #
+  # Returns the path in the output directory where the static file should
+  # be copied. This path is used to determine if the static file is dirty
+  # and in need of copying to the output file.
+  #
+  def destination
+    return @dest if defined? @dest and @dest
+
+    @dest = ::File.join(::Webby.site.output_dir, dir, filename)
+    @dest << '.' << @ext if @ext and !@ext.empty?
+    @dest
+  end
+
+  alias :extension :ext
+
+end  # class Layout
+end  # module Webby::Resources
+
+# EOF
diff --git a/lib/webby/webby_task.rb b/lib/webby/webby_task.rb
index a2b33ae..2a555a0 100644
--- a/lib/webby/webby_task.rb
+++ b/lib/webby/webby_task.rb
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ def define_create_tasks
         raise "Usage:  rake #{t.name} path" unless ARGV.length == 2
 
         page = t.application.top_level_tasks.pop
-        name = ::Webby::File.basename(page)
-        ext  = ::Webby::File.extname(page)
+        name = ::Webby::Resources::File.basename(page)
+        ext  = ::Webby::Resources::File.extname(page)
         dir  = ::File.dirname(page)
         dir  = '' if dir == '.'
 
diff --git a/spec/webby/file_spec.rb b/spec/webby/resources/file_spec.rb
similarity index 86%
rename from spec/webby/file_spec.rb
rename to spec/webby/resources/file_spec.rb
index e1fe491..387fdd1 100644
--- a/spec/webby/file_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/webby/resources/file_spec.rb
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 # $Id$
 
-require ::File.join(::File.dirname(__FILE__), %w[.. spec_helper])
+require ::File.join(::File.dirname(__FILE__), %w[.. .. spec_helper])
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-describe Webby::File do
+describe Webby::Resources::File do
 
   FN = ::File.expand_path(::File.join(::File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', '..', 'lorem_ipsum.txt'))
   FN_YAML = FN.gsub %r/\.txt\z/, '_yaml.txt'
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 
   it 'should return nil for meta-data on regular files' do
     begin
-      fd = Webby::File.new FN, 'r'
+      fd = Webby::Resources::File.new FN, 'r'
       fd.meta_data.should be_nil
 
       fd.readlines.should == LINES
@@ -45,12 +45,12 @@
   end
 
   it 'should add meta-data to the top of a file' do
-    Webby::File.open(FN,'a+') do |fd|
+    Webby::Resources::File.open(FN,'a+') do |fd|
       fd.meta_data.should be_nil
       fd.meta_data = %w(one two three)
     end
 
-    Webby::File.open(FN,'r') do |fd|
+    Webby::Resources::File.open(FN,'r') do |fd|
       fd.meta_data.should == %w(one two three)
     end
 
@@ -68,12 +68,12 @@
   end
 
   it 'should remove the meta-data when set to nil' do
-    Webby::File.open(FN_YAML,'a+') do |fd|
+    Webby::Resources::File.open(FN_YAML,'a+') do |fd|
       fd.meta_data.should == %w(one two three)
       fd.meta_data = nil
     end
 
-    Webby::File.open(FN_YAML,'r') do |fd|
+    Webby::Resources::File.open(FN_YAML,'r') do |fd|
       fd.meta_data.should be_nil
     end
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@
 
   it 'should skip the meta-data when reading from the file' do
     begin
-      fd = Webby::File.new FN_YAML, 'r'
+      fd = Webby::Resources::File.new FN_YAML, 'r'
       fd.meta_data.should == %w(one two three)
 
       fd.getc.should == ?L;                        fd.seek 0
@@ -100,6 +100,6 @@
       fd.close
     end
   end
-end  # describe Webby::File
+end  # describe Webby::Resources::File
 
 # EOF