EDIT

    		PrefKey key = null;

    		try{

    		    key = CdmPreference.NewKey(PreferenceSubject.NewDatabaseInstance(), PreferencePredicate.NomenclaturalCode);

    		}catch (Exception e){

    		    System.out.println(e.getStackTrace());

    		}

/**

 * <p>

 * setPreferredNomenclaturalCode

 * </p>

 *

 * @param preferredCode

 *            a {@link eu.etaxonomy.cdm.model.name.NomenclaturalCode}

 *            object.

 */

public static CdmPreference setPreferredNamedAreasForDistributionEditor(

        String saveCheckedElements, String saveGrayedElements, boolean local) {

    if (local){

        IPreferenceStore preferenceStore = PreferencesUtil.getPreferenceStore();

        preferenceStore.setValue(PreferencesUtil.DISTRIBUTION_AREA_OCCURENCE_STATUS, saveCheckedElements);

        preferenceStore.setValue(PreferencesUtil.DISTRIBUTION_AREA_OCCURENCE_STATUS_GRAYED, saveGrayedElements);

    }

    else{

        ICdmRepository controller;

//        PrefKey key = CdmPreference.NewKey(PreferenceSubject.NewDatabaseInstance(), PreferencePredicate.AvailableDistributionAreaTerms);

        CdmPreference preference = null;

        if (saveCheckedElements == null){

            preference = getPreferenceFromDB(PreferencePredicate.AvailableDistributionAreaTerms);

//            preference = controller.getPreferenceService().find(key);

            if (preference == null){

                return null;

            } else{

                String[] uuids = StringUtils.splitByWholeSeparator(saveCheckedElements, ",");

                List<UUID> uuidList = new ArrayList();

                for (String uuidString: uuids){

                    uuidList.add(UUID.fromString(uuidString.trim()));

                }

                getPreferenceStore().setValue(DISTRIBUTION_AREA_OCCURENCE_STATUS,

                        saveCheckedElements);

                return preference;

            }

        } else{

            controller = CdmStore.getCurrentApplicationConfiguration();

            preference = CdmPreference.NewInstance(PreferenceSubject.NewDatabaseInstance(), PreferencePredicate.AvailableDistributionAreaTerms, saveCheckedElements);

            controller.getPreferenceService().set(preference);

            getPreferenceStore().setValue(DISTRIBUTION_AREA_OCCURENCE_STATUS,

                    saveCheckedElements);

        }

    }

    return null;

}