diff --git a/idassigner.py b/idassigner.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a9d9aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/idassigner.py
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# -*- coding: utf-8; mode: python -*-
+
+"""
+Docstring goes here
+"""
+
+__version__ = "1.0"
+__date__ = "20181127"
+__author__ = "kthoden@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de"
+
+import argparse
+import logging
+from datetime import datetime
+from lxml import etree
+from copy import deepcopy
+import libeoaconvert
+
+logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG, format=' %(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')
+
+ns_tei = "http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"
+NS_MAP = {"t": ns_tei, "xml": "http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace"}
+
+def assign_ids(chapter_tree):
+    """Assign xml:ids to various elements"""
+
+    chapter_id = (chapter_tree.attrib["{http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace}id"])
+    logging.debug("The id of this chapter is %s", chapter_id)
+
+    footnotes = chapter_tree.xpath("//t:note[@place='bottom']", namespaces=NS_MAP)
+    footnote_id_counter = 1
+    for note in footnotes:
+        note_id = "{}_ftn{:03d}".format(chapter_id, footnote_id_counter)
+        note.set("n", str(footnote_id_counter))
+        libeoaconvert.assign_xml_id(note, note_id)
+        footnote_id_counter += 1
+
+    sections = chapter_tree.xpath("//t:div[@type='section']", namespaces=NS_MAP)
+    section_id_counter = 1
+    for section in sections:
+        if section.get("n") == "nonumber":
+            logging.info("Leaving out unnumbered section.")
+            pass
+        else:
+            section_id = "{}_sec{:02d}".format(chapter_id, section_id_counter)
+            libeoaconvert.assign_xml_id(section, section_id)
+            section_id_counter += 1
+
+    subsections = chapter_tree.xpath("//t:div[@type='subsection']", namespaces=NS_MAP)
+    subsection_id_counter = 1
+    for subsection in subsections:
+        if subsection.get("n") == "nonumber":
+            logging.info("Leaving out unnumbered subsection.")
+            pass
+        else:
+            section_element = subsection.getparent()
+            section_id = section_element.attrib["{http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace}id"]
+            logging.debug("Found a subsection in section %s", section_id)
+            rest, section_number = section_id.split("_sec")
+            subsection_id = "{}_subsec{}-{:02d}".format(chapter_id, section_number, subsection_id_counter)
+            libeoaconvert.assign_xml_id(subsection, subsection_id)
+            subsection_id_counter += 1
+
+    figures = chapter_tree.xpath("//t:figure", namespaces=NS_MAP)
+    figure_id_counter = 1
+    for figure in figures:
+        figure_id = "{}_fig{:02d}".format(chapter_id, figure_id_counter)
+        libeoaconvert.assign_xml_id(figure, figure_id)
+        figure_id_counter += 1
+
+    tables = chapter_tree.xpath("//t:table", namespaces=NS_MAP)
+    table_id_counter = 1
+    for table in tables:
+        table_id = "{}_tab{:02d}".format(chapter_id, table_id_counter)
+        libeoaconvert.assign_xml_id(table, table_id)
+        table_id_counter += 1
+
+    return
+# def assign_ids ends here
+
+def main():
+    """The main bit"""
+
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument("teifile", help="TEI file")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    xml_tree = etree.parse(args.teifile)
+
+    chapters = xml_tree.xpath("//t:div[@type='chapter']", namespaces=NS_MAP)
+
+    logging.debug("Found %s chapters.", len(chapters))
+
+    # in this iteration, a copy is made of each chapter and fitted
+    # with ids, the original chapter is being discarded
+    for chapter in chapters:
+        copied_chapter = deepcopy(chapter)
+        assign_ids(copied_chapter)
+        chapter.addprevious(copied_chapter)
+        chapter.tag = "elementtobestripped"
+
+    etree.strip_elements(xml_tree, "elementtobestripped")
+    libeoaconvert.write_appinfo(xml_tree, "id_assigner", __version__, "idassign", "Assign XML IDs to elements", datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d"))
+    output = args.teifile.replace(".xml", "-withids.xml")
+    xml_tree.write(output, pretty_print=True, xml_declaration=True, encoding="utf-8")
+    logging.info("Wrote %s." % output)
+# def main ends here
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()
+# finis