JAVA A private static encodeField method which takes an object parameter and encodes it as a field $($string$).$

$1$ If the given object is a null reference, return a string containing the literal word null.

$2$ If it is a string, return it between literal quotation marks $("),$ thus $2$ characters longer.

$3$ If it is a boolean, integer, or floating point number $($double$),$ return it converted to a string.

$4$ Otherwise, throw an illegal argument exception and pass it the message that the given object is unsupported.

$5$ This step H is the functional inverse of step I below.

I A private static decodeField method which takes a field parameter $($string$)$ and decodes it as an object.

$1$ If the given field is the literal word null or any case variant, return a null reference.

$2$ If it starts and ends with literal quotation marks $("),$ return the substring between the marks, thus $2$ characters shorter.

$3$ If it is the literal word true or false or any case variant, return the corresponding boolean true or false.

$4$ If it can be parsed as an integer, return the corresponding integer.

$5$ If it can be parsed as a floating point number $($double$),$ return the corresponding number.

$6$ Otherwise, throw an illegal argument exception and pass it the message that the given field is unrecognized.

$7$ This step I is the functional inverse of step H above.

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J A private static encodeRow method which takes a row parameter and encodes it as a record $($string$).$

$1$ Create a string joiner with a comma $(,)$ as its delimiter.

$2$ Encode the key of the given row as a field using encodeField, and add it to the string joiner.

$3$ For each field in the list of fields of the given row in order, encode it using encodeField, and add it to the string joiner.

$4$ Return the string joiner converted to a string.

$5$ This step J is the functional inverse of step K below.

K A private static decodeRow method which takes a record parameter $($string$)$ and decodes it as a row.

$1$ Split the record on commas $(,)$ into a sequence of fields.

$2$ Strip the first field of whitespace and decode it as a key using decodeField.

$3$ Create a new list of fields. For each remaining field in the sequence, strip it$,$ decode it using decodeField, and add it to

the list of fields.

$4$ Return a new row composed of the key and list of fields.

$5$ This step K is the functional inverse of step J above.

L Public methods for the following properties:

$1$ The hashCode method $($fingerprint$)$ which returns the sum of the hash codes of the rows decoded from the records in

the flat file, excluding the header.