diff --git a/python/sample_lister.py b/python/sample_lister.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..03a5054d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/sample_lister.py
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import os
+import subprocess
+
+#this will create a list of collaborator ids or a list of sample names--it will find cleaned bams even if they're not stored in the sample_set file system. I'm mainly using it as a module import. 
+class SampleSet:
+    def __init__(self, projectname, setname, path):
+        self.setname = setname
+        self.projectname = projectname
+        self.path = path
+    def sampslist(self):
+        '''finds and lists all samples in a set'''
+        try:
+            searchpath="ls /humgen/gsa-firehose/firehose/firehose_output/trunk/Sample_Set/" + self.setname +"/ -I CleanBam -I UnifiedGenotyper -I MergeBam"  
+            raw_samps= subprocess.Popen([searchpath], shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE).communicate()[0]
+        except IOError:
+            print( "Can't make sample list. Those files are not where they ought to be, or Sample_Set is not valid.")
+        samps = raw_samps.split("\n" + self.projectname+ "_")
+        samplelist = raw_samps.split("\n")[0:len(samps)]
+        samps[0] = samps[0].split(self.projectname+"_")[len(samps[0].split(self.projectname+"_"))-1]
+        samps[len(samps)-1] = samps[len(samps)-1].split("\n")[0]
+        return [samps, samplelist]
+    def bamlist(self, samplist, write=True):
+        '''finds and lists all cleaned bams in a sample set'''
+        if (write == True):
+            try:
+                if os.path.exists(self.path + "bamsfor" + self.setname + ".list"):
+                    os.remove(self.path + "bamsfor" + self.setname + ".list")
+                listfile = open(self.path + "bamsfor" + self.setname + ".list", "a")
+                for samp in samplist:
+                    searcher="find /humgen/gsa-firehose/firehose/firehose_output/trunk/Sample/" + repr(samp)  +"/ -name \*cleaned.bam"
+                    raw_samp= subprocess.Popen([searcher], shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE).communicate()[0]
+                    listfile.write(raw_samp)
+                listfile.close()
+                print (listfile.name)
+            except IOError:
+                print( "can't make .bam list.Those files are not where they ought to be, or Sample_Set is not valid")
+        else:
+            for samp in samplist:
+                searcher="find /humgen/gsa-firehose/firehose/firehose_output/trunk/Sample/" + samp  +"/ -name \*cleaned.bam"
+                raw_samp= subprocess.Popen([searcher], shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE).communicate()[0]
+                print(raw_samp)
+    def bedlist(self, samplist, write=True):
+        '''finds and lists all beds for a sample set'''
+        if (write == True):
+            try:
+                if os.path.exists(self.path + "bedsfor" + self.setname + ".list"):
+                    os.remove(self.path + "bedsfor" + self.setname + ".list")
+                listfile = open(self.path + "bedsfor" + self.setname + ".list", "a")
+                for samp in samplist:
+                    searcher="find /humgen/gsa-firehose/firehose/firehose_output/trunk/Sample/" + repr(samp)  +"/ -name \*.bed"
+                    raw_samp= subprocess.Popen([searcher], shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE).communicate()[0]
+                    listfile.write(raw_samp)
+                listfile.close()
+                print (listfile.name)
+            except IOError:
+                print( "can't make .bed list.Those files are not where they ought to be, or Sample_Set is not valid")
+        else:
+            for samp in samplist:
+                searcher="find /humgen/gsa-firehose/firehose/firehose_output/trunk/Sample/" + samp  +"/ -name \*.bed"
+                raw_samp= subprocess.Popen([searcher], shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE).communicate()[0]
+                print(raw_samp)
+'''next two lines are example usage
+#pfizer5=SampleSet("T2D_Altshuler_Pfizer_Plate_5", "T2D_Altshuler_Pfizer", "humgen/gsa-hphome1/corin/oneoffs/pfizer5/")
+#pfizer5.bamlist(pfizer5.sampslist()[0], write=False)'''