diff --git a/src/caosdb/high_level_api.py b/src/caosdb/high_level_api.py
index 365cd1331a7a88d0931ecab8e4d3ec79e28563c2..c8ae283bb2641a72bdbf6742c954c74dccb7bd37 100644
--- a/src/caosdb/high_level_api.py
+++ b/src/caosdb/high_level_api.py
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ This is refactored from apiutils.
 """
 
 from caosdb.common.datatype import (BOOLEAN, DATETIME, DOUBLE, FILE, INTEGER,
-                                    REFERENCE, TEXT, is_list_datatype, get_list_datatype)
+                                    REFERENCE, TEXT,
+                                    is_list_datatype,
+                                    get_list_datatype,
+                                    is_reference)
 import caosdb as db
 
 from .apiutils import get_type_of_entity_with
@@ -39,7 +42,7 @@ from .apiutils import get_type_of_entity_with
 from typing import Any, Optional, List, Union, Dict
 
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-
+from datetime import datetime
 
 @dataclass
 class CaosDBPropertyMetaData:
@@ -230,50 +233,67 @@ class CaosDBPythonEntity(object):
         """
         self._id = idx
 
-    def _type_converted_list(self, val, pr):
-        """Convert a list to a python list of the correct type."""
-        prrealpre = pr.replace("&lt;", "<").replace("&gt;", ">")
-        prreal = prrealpre[prrealpre.index("<") + 1:prrealpre.rindex(">")]
+    def _type_converted_list(self,
+                             val: List,
+                             pr: str):
+        """
+        Convert a list to a python list of the correct type.
+
+        val: List
+             The value of a property containing the list.
+
+        pr: str
+            The datatype according to the database entry.
+        """
+        if not is_list_datatype(pr):
+            raise RuntimeError("Not a list.")
+        prreal = get_list_datatype(pr)
         lst = [self._type_converted_value(i, prreal) for i in val]
 
         return ([i[0] for i in lst], lst[0][1])
 
-    def _type_converted_value(self, val, pr):
-        """Convert val to the correct type which is indicated by the database
+    def _type_converted_value(self,
+                              val: Any,
+                              pr: str):
+        """
+        Convert val to the correct type which is indicated by the database
         type string in pr.
 
-        Returns a tuple with two entries:
-        - the converted value
-        - True if the value has to be interpreted as an id acting as a reference
-
-        If datatype is None return the tuple:
-        (value, False)
+        References with ids will be turned into CaosDBPythonUnresolvedReference.
         """
 
         if val is None:
-            return (None, False)
+            return None
         elif pr is None:
-            return (val, False)
+            return val
         elif pr == DOUBLE:
-            return (float(val), False)
+            return float(val)
         elif pr == BOOLEAN:
-            return (bool(val), False)
+            return bool(val)
         elif pr == INTEGER:
-            return (int(val), False)
+            return int(val)
         elif pr == TEXT:
-            return (val, False)
+            return str(val)
         elif pr == FILE:
-            return (int(val), False)
+            return int(val)
         elif pr == REFERENCE:
-            return (int(val), True)
+            return CaosDBPythonUnresolvedReference(val)
         elif pr == DATETIME:
-            return (val, False)
-        elif pr[0:4] == "LIST":
+            return val
+        elif is_list_datatype(pr):
             return self._type_converted_list(val, pr)
         elif isinstance(val, db.Entity):
-            return (convert_to_python_object(val), False)
+            return convert_to_python_object(val)
         else:
-            return (int(val), True)
+            # Generic references to entities:
+            return CaosDBPythonUnresolvedReference(val)
+
+    def _parse_datetime(self, val):
+        """
+        Convert val into a datetime object.
+        """
+        # TODO: try different representations
+        return datetime.strptime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", val)
 
     def attribute_as_list(self, name):
         """This is a workaround for the problem that lists containing only one