static byte[] getBytes(final String value, final String characterEncoding)
        throws UnsupportedEncodingException
    {
        if (null == value)
        {
            return EMPTY_BUFFER;
        }

        return value.getBytes(characterEncoding);
    }
Utility functions for working with {@link Ir}.
sbe-tool/src/main/java/uk/co/real_logic/sbe/ir/IrUtil.java