private List<String> parseProp(String prop){
  String[] items=new String[0];
  if (prop != null) {
    items=prop.split(",\\s*");
  }
  return Arrays.asList(items);
}

private List < String > parseProp ( String prop ) { String [ ] items = new String [ 0 ] ; if ( prop != null ) { items = prop . split ( ",\\s*" ) ; } return Arrays . asList ( items ) ; }
parse the comma delimited property into a list
