diff --git a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/io/Qualifier.java b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/io/Qualifier.java
index 4266b63f074f5e57af76764e6db285e2e1d4d7a4..9cfeafc2c2ff6a6d9f91c18f6801ade2ee27d32e 100644
--- a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/io/Qualifier.java
+++ b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/io/Qualifier.java
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
  * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
  * Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307, USA.
  *
- * $Header: //tmp/pathsoft/artemis/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/io/Qualifier.java,v 1.2 2005-10-11 14:20:31 tjc Exp $
+ * $Header: //tmp/pathsoft/artemis/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/io/Qualifier.java,v 1.3 2005-10-11 14:58:53 tjc Exp $
  */
 
 package uk.ac.sanger.artemis.io;
@@ -33,10 +33,18 @@ import uk.ac.sanger.artemis.util.*;
  *  one name and many values.
  *
  *  @author Kim Rutherford
- *  @version $Id: Qualifier.java,v 1.2 2005-10-11 14:20:31 tjc Exp $
+ *  @version $Id: Qualifier.java,v 1.3 2005-10-11 14:58:53 tjc Exp $
  * */
 
-public class Qualifier {
+public class Qualifier 
+{
+
+  /** The name that was passed to the constructor. */
+  private String name;
+
+  /** The values that were passed to the constructor. */
+  private StringVector values;
+
   /**
    *  Create a new Qualifier object.  This object consists of a name and
    *  possibly some values.  In the raw embl file we have /name=value.
@@ -49,7 +57,8 @@ public class Qualifier {
    *    qualifier was /citation=[3] then the value String should be: 3.  This
    *    argument is copied by the constructor.
    **/
-  public Qualifier (final String name, final StringVector values) {
+  public Qualifier (final String name, final StringVector values) 
+  {
     initialise (name, values);
   }
 
@@ -61,7 +70,8 @@ public class Qualifier {
    *  @param value The value of this qualifier (see the other constructor for
    *    details).  Other values may be added later.
    **/
-  public Qualifier (final String name, final String value) {
+  public Qualifier (final String name, final String value) 
+  {
     initialise (name, new StringVector (value));
   }
 
@@ -71,7 +81,8 @@ public class Qualifier {
    *  @param name The name of this qualifier (ie. the text immediately after
    *    the / in the qualifier)
    **/
-  public Qualifier (final String name) {
+  public Qualifier (final String name) 
+  {
     initialise (name, (StringVector) null);
   }
 
@@ -82,57 +93,26 @@ public class Qualifier {
    *  @param values The values of this qualifier (see the other constructor for
    *    details).  Other values may be added later.
    **/
-  private void initialise (final String name, final StringVector values) {
+  private void initialise (final String name, final StringVector values) 
+  {
     this.name = name;
-    if (values == null) {
+    if(values == null) 
       this.values = null;
-    } else {
-      if (values.size () == 0) {
+    else
+    {
+      if(values.size() == 0)
         throw new Error ("internal error - zero length values vector");
-      }
 
       this.values = values.copy ();
 //    this.values = values;
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   *  Return true if and only if all the values of this Qualifier are null.
-   **/
-  private boolean allValuesNull () {
-    if (values == null) {
-      return true;
-    } else {
-      for (int i = 0 ; i < values.size () ; ++i) {
-        if (values.elementAt (i) != null) {
-          return false;
-        }
-      }
-
-      return true;
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   *  Return true if and only if all the values of this Qualifier are not null.
-   **/
-  private boolean allValuesNotNull () {
-    if (values == null) {
-      return false;
-    } else {
-      for (int i = 0 ; i < values.size () ; ++i) {
-        if (values.elementAt (i) == null) {
-          return false;
-        }
-      }
-
-      return true;
-    }
-  }
   /**
    *  Return the name of this qualifier.
    **/
-  public String getName () {
+  public String getName()
+  {
     return name;
   }
 
@@ -142,42 +122,47 @@ public class Qualifier {
    *  Qualifier), but the String objects inside the vector are not copied so
    *  the same String references will occur in all copies.
    **/
-  public StringVector getValues () {
-    if (values == null) {
+  public StringVector getValues() 
+  {
+    if(values == null)
       return null;
-    } else {
-      return values.copy ();
-    }
+    else
+      return values.copy();
   }
 
   /**
    *  Add the given values to this object.
    **/
-  public void addValues (final StringVector new_values) {
-    if (values == null) {
+  public void addValues(final StringVector new_values) 
+  {
+    if(values == null) 
+    {
       values = new StringVector ();
       values.add ((String)null);
     }
-    if (new_values == null) {
+    if(new_values == null) 
+    {
       // if new_values is null then we have a qualifier with no value (like
       // /pseudo).  we add one null value for each occurrence of the
       // qualifier.
       values.add ((String)null);
-    } else {
-      for (int i = 0 ; i < new_values.size () ; ++i) {
-        values.add (new_values.elementAt (i));
-      }
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      for(int i = 0 ; i < new_values.size() ; ++i) 
+        values.add(new_values.elementAt(i));
     }
   }
 
   /**
    *  Add the given value to this object.
    **/
-  public void addValue (final String new_value) {
-    if (values == null) {
-      values = new StringVector ();
-    }
-    values.add (new_value);
+  public void addValue(final String new_value)
+  {
+    if(values == null) 
+      values = new StringVector();
+    
+    values.add(new_value);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -185,75 +170,21 @@ public class Qualifier {
    *  String must have previously been passed to addValue () or addValues ()
    *  for a removal to occur.
    **/
-  public void removeValue (final String value) {
-    values.remove (value);
+  protected void removeValue(final String value) 
+  {
+    values.remove(value);
 
-    if (values.size () == 0) {
+    if(values.size() == 0) 
       values = null;
-    }
   }
 
   /**
    *  Return the reference of a new copy of this Qualifier.
    **/
-  public Qualifier copy () {
-    return new Qualifier (getName (), getValues ());
+  public Qualifier copy() 
+  {
+    return new Qualifier(getName(), getValues());
   }
 
-  /**
-   *  Return true if object has the same name and values as this Qualifier.
-   *  The values can be in any order.
-   **/
-  public boolean equals (final Object object) {
-    if (object instanceof Qualifier) {
-      final Qualifier comp_qualifier = (Qualifier) object;
-
-      if (comp_qualifier.getName ().equals (getName ())) {
-        if (comp_qualifier.values == null && values == null) {
-          return true;
-        } else {
-          if (comp_qualifier.values == null || values == null) {
-            return false;
-          } else {
-            if (comp_qualifier.values.size () != values.size ()) {
-              return false;
-            }
-
-            final StringVector this_string_vector = values.copy ();
-            final StringVector comp_string_vector =
-              comp_qualifier.values.copy ();
-
-            this_string_vector.sort ();
-            comp_string_vector.sort ();
-
-            for (int i = 0 ; i < values.size () ; ++i) {
-              final String this_string = (String)this_string_vector.elementAt (i);
-
-              if (this_string != null &&
-                  !this_string.equals (comp_string_vector.elementAt (i))) {
-                return false;
-              }
-            }
-            return true;
-          }
-        }
-      } else {
-        return false;
-      }
-    } else {
-      return false;
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   *  The name that was passed to the constructor.
-   **/
-  private String name;
-
-  /**
-   *  The values that were passed to the constructor.
-   **/
-  private StringVector values;
 }
 
-