diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 16838ed..d8ce197 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,3 +3,35 @@
 A JSON Web Token library to generate, parse, sign, and verify JWTs.
 
 Currently, only the "HS256" algorithm is supported.
+
+## Example: Create a JWT
+```d
+import jwt4d;
+import std.datetime; // To set expiration in duration.
+import std.json; // To add a custom claim value.
+import std.stdio;
+
+const string MY_SECRET = "this is a secret!";
+
+JwtClaims claims = JwtClaims()
+    .issuer("my.webpage.com")
+    .subject("user123")
+    .issuedAtNow()
+    .expiresIn(minutes(30))
+    .customClaim("role", JSONValue("admin"));
+string token = writeJwt(claims, MY_SECRET);
+writeln(token);
+```
+
+## Example: Read a JWT
+```d
+import jwt4d;
+import std.stdio;
+
+const string MY_SECRET = "this is a secret!";
+
+string token = "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJleHAiOjE3NTM5MjYzMjAsImlhdCI6MTc1MzkyNDUyMCwiaXNzIjoibXkud2VicGFnZS5jb20iLCJyb2xlIjoiYWRtaW4iLCJzdWIiOiJ1c2VyMTIzIn0.n5X2giJ3S5T3wrW4C0qlZrShr2ZwPiWIu6FxUzQ3K9s";
+
+JwtClaims claims = readJwt(token, MY_SECRET);
+writeln(claims.toJson());
+```
diff --git a/source/jwt4d/model.d b/source/jwt4d/model.d
index 0797027..14fe196 100644
--- a/source/jwt4d/model.d
+++ b/source/jwt4d/model.d
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 module jwt4d.model;
 
 import std.json;
-import std.base64;
+import std.datetime;
 
 /**
  * Enum defining the names of registered JWT claims, as per RFC 7519.
@@ -95,6 +95,12 @@ struct JwtClaims {
         return this;
     }
 
+    ref expiresIn(Duration dur) {
+        long expirationUnixTime = (Clock.currTime() + dur).toUnixTime!long;
+        this.obj.object[JwtClaim.Expiration] = expirationUnixTime;
+        return this;
+    }
+
     long expiration() const {
         if (JwtClaim.Expiration !in this.obj.object) return -1;
         return this.obj.object[JwtClaim.Expiration].integer;
@@ -123,6 +129,17 @@ struct JwtClaims {
         return this;
     }
 
+    ref issuedAtNow() {
+        long now = Clock.currTime().toUnixTime!long();
+        this.obj.object[JwtClaim.IssuedAt] = now;
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    long issuedAt() const {
+        if (JwtClaim.IssuedAt !in this.obj.object) return -1;
+        return this.obj.object[JwtClaim.IssuedAt].integer;
+    }
+
     ref jwtId(string jwtId) {
         if (jwtId is null) {
             this.obj.object.remove(JwtClaim.JwtId);
@@ -132,6 +149,21 @@ struct JwtClaims {
         return this;
     }
 
+    string jwtId() const {
+        if (JwtClaim.JwtId !in this.obj.object) return null;
+        return this.obj.object[JwtClaim.JwtId].str;
+    }
+
+    ref customClaim(string name, JSONValue value) {
+        this.obj.object[name] = value;
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    JSONValue customClaim(string name) const {
+        if (name !in this.obj.object) return JSONValue(null);
+        return this.obj.object[name];
+    }
+
     string toJson() const {
         return this.obj.toJSON();
     }
diff --git a/source/jwt4d/reader.d b/source/jwt4d/reader.d
index 4d77e54..9208f44 100644
--- a/source/jwt4d/reader.d
+++ b/source/jwt4d/reader.d
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+/**
+ * Defines the `readJwt` function for reading a JWT from a string token, and
+ * associated exceptions which may be thrown for invalid tokens.
+ */
 module jwt4d.reader;
 
 import std.json;
@@ -7,36 +11,50 @@ import secured;
 
 import jwt4d.model;
 
+/// Base type for any exception thrown while attempting to read a JWT.
 class JwtException : Exception {
     this(string message) {
         super(message);
     }
 }
 
+/// Thrown if a token is malformed and cannot be read.
 class JwtFormatException : JwtException {
     this(string message) {
         super(message);
     }
 }
 
+/// Thrown if a token cannot be verified.
 class JwtVerificationException : JwtException {
     this() {
         super("JWT could not be verified.");
     }
 }
 
+/// Thrown if a token's "exp" claim is present and not in the future.
 class JwtExpiredException : JwtException {
     this() {
         super("JWT has expired.");
     }
 }
 
+/// Thrown if a token's "nbf" claim is present and not in the past.
 class JwtNotBeforeException : JwtException {
     this() {
         super("JWT is not valid yet (not before time).");
     }
 }
 
+/// Internal struct for passing around JWT data after parsing it.
+private struct JwtComponents {
+    JSONValue headerObj;
+    JSONValue claimsObj;
+    string payloadForSigning;
+    string algorithm;
+    ubyte[] signature;
+}
+
 /**
  * Reads a token and parses the claims. If the token is valid and its signature
  * is verified, this method will also evaluate the "exp" (expiration) and "nbf"
@@ -47,36 +65,54 @@ class JwtNotBeforeException : JwtException {
  * Returns: The set of claims.
  */
 JwtClaims readJwt(string token, string secret) {
-    import std.algorithm : splitter;
-    import std.array : array;
-
-    auto parts = token.splitter('.').array;
-    JSONValue headerObj = parseJSON(cast(string) Base64URLNoPadding.decode(parts[0]));
-    verifyHeaderFormat(headerObj);
-    string algorithm = headerObj.object["alg"].str;
-    if (algorithm != "HS256") {
-        throw new JwtFormatException("Unsupported algorithm: " ~ algorithm);
-    }
-    
-    JSONValue claimsObj = parseJSON(cast(string) Base64URLNoPadding.decode(parts[1]));
-    verifyClaimsFormat(claimsObj);
-
-    ubyte[] signatureBytes = Base64URLNoPadding.decode(parts[2]);
+    JwtComponents components = extractComponents(token);
     bool verified = hmac_verify_ex(
-        signatureBytes,
+        components.signature,
         cast(ubyte[]) secret,
-        cast(ubyte[]) (parts[0] ~ "." ~ parts[1]),
+        cast(ubyte[]) components.payloadForSigning,
         HashAlgorithm.SHA2_256
     );
     if (!verified) {
         throw new JwtVerificationException();
     }
 
-    JwtClaims claims = JwtClaims(claimsObj);
+    JwtClaims claims = JwtClaims(components.claimsObj);
     verifyStandardTimeClaims(claims);
     return claims;
 }
 
+private JwtComponents extractComponents(string token) {
+    import std.algorithm : splitter;
+    import std.array : array;
+
+    auto parts = token.splitter('.').array;
+    if (parts.length != 3 || parts[0].length == 0 || parts[1].length == 0 || parts[2].length == 0) {
+        throw new JwtFormatException("Invalid token format. Couldn't parse header, payload, and signature parts.");
+    }
+
+    JSONValue headerObj;
+    JSONValue claimsObj;
+    ubyte[] signature;
+    try {
+        headerObj = parseJSON(cast(string) Base64URLNoPadding.decode(parts[0]));
+        claimsObj = parseJSON(cast(string) Base64URLNoPadding.decode(parts[1]));
+        signature = Base64URLNoPadding.decode(parts[2]);
+    } catch (JSONException e) {
+        throw new JwtFormatException("Invalid JSON format.");
+    } catch (Base64Exception e) {
+        throw new JwtFormatException("Invalid Base64 encoding.");
+    }
+    
+    verifyHeaderFormat(headerObj);
+    string algorithm = headerObj.object["alg"].str;
+    if (algorithm != "HS256") {
+        throw new JwtFormatException("Unsupported algorithm: " ~ algorithm);
+    }
+    verifyClaimsFormat(claimsObj);
+
+    return JwtComponents(headerObj, claimsObj, parts[0] ~ "." ~ parts[1], algorithm, signature);
+}
+
 private void verifyHeaderFormat(in JSONValue j) {
     if (j.type != JSONType.OBJECT) {
         throw new JwtFormatException("Header must be a JSON object.");
@@ -116,4 +152,17 @@ unittest {
     JwtClaims readClaims = readJwt(token, "test");
     import std.stdio;
     writeln(readClaims.toJson());
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+// README example.
+unittest {
+    import jwt4d;
+    import std.stdio;
+
+    const string MY_SECRET = "this is a secret!";
+
+    string token = "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJleHAiOjE3NTM5MjYzMjAsImlhdCI6MTc1MzkyNDUyMCwiaXNzIjoibXkud2VicGFnZS5jb20iLCJyb2xlIjoiYWRtaW4iLCJzdWIiOiJ1c2VyMTIzIn0.n5X2giJ3S5T3wrW4C0qlZrShr2ZwPiWIu6FxUzQ3K9s";
+
+    JwtClaims claims = readJwt(token, MY_SECRET);
+    writeln(claims.toJson());
+}
diff --git a/source/jwt4d/writer.d b/source/jwt4d/writer.d
index 3e83c77..233c093 100644
--- a/source/jwt4d/writer.d
+++ b/source/jwt4d/writer.d
@@ -34,12 +34,31 @@ string writeJwt(in JwtClaims claims, string secret) {
 }
 
 unittest {
-    JwtClaims claims;
-    claims.issuer = "example.com";
-    claims.subject = "user123";
-    claims.expiration = 123;
+    JwtClaims claims = JwtClaims()
+        .issuer("example.com")
+        .subject("user123")
+        .expiration(123);
 
     string token = writeJwt(claims, "test");
     import std.stdio;
     writeln(token);
+}
+
+// README example.
+unittest {
+    import jwt4d;
+    import std.datetime; // To set expiration in duration.
+    import std.json; // To add a custom claim value.
+    import std.stdio;
+
+    const string MY_SECRET = "this is a secret!";
+
+    JwtClaims claims = JwtClaims()
+        .issuer("my.webpage.com")
+        .subject("user123")
+        .issuedAtNow()
+        .expiresIn(minutes(30))
+        .customClaim("role", JSONValue("admin"));
+    string token = writeJwt(claims, MY_SECRET);
+    writeln(token);
 }
\ No newline at end of file