// return the value in a JSON friendly way
 public static String toJsonString(Object value) {
   if (value == null) {
     return "null";
   } else if (value.getClass().equals(String.class)) {
     return "\"" + StringUtils.jsonEncoding(value.toString()) + "\"";
   }
   // else it's a Boolean or Number so no escaping or quotes
   else {
     return value.toString();
   }
 }