How to use the youtube-dl.youtube_dl.compat.compat_str function in youtube_dl

def _extract_from_json_url(self, json_url, video_id, lang, title=None):
        info = self._download_json(json_url, video_id)
        player_info = info['videoJsonPlayer']

        vsr = try_get(player_info, lambda x: x['VSR'], dict)
        if not vsr:
            error = None
            if try_get(player_info, lambda x: x['custom_msg']['type']) == 'error':
                error = try_get(
                    player_info, lambda x: x['custom_msg']['msg'], compat_str)
            if not error:
                error = 'Video %s is not available' % player_info.get('VID') or video_id
            raise ExtractorError(error, expected=True)

        upload_date_str = player_info.get('shootingDate')
        if not upload_date_str:
            upload_date_str = (player_info.get('VRA') or player_info.get('VDA') or '').split(' ')[0]

        title = (player_info.get('VTI') or title or player_info['VID']).strip()
        subtitle = player_info.get('VSU', '').strip()
        if subtitle:
            title += ' - %s' % subtitle

        info_dict = {
            'id': player_info['VID'],
            'title': title,

def str_or_none(v, default=None):
    return default if v is None else compat_str(v)

}
                self.add_default_extra_info(ie_result, ie, url)
                if process:
                    return self.process_ie_result(ie_result, download, extra_info)
                else:
                    return ie_result
            except GeoRestrictedError as e:
                msg = e.msg
                if e.countries:
                    msg += '\nThis video is available in %s.' % ', '.join(
                        map(ISO3166Utils.short2full, e.countries))
                msg += '\nYou might want to use a VPN or a proxy server (with --proxy) to workaround.'
                self.report_error(msg)
                break
            except ExtractorError as e:  # An error we somewhat expected
                self.report_error(compat_str(e), e.format_traceback())
                break
            except MaxDownloadsReached:
                raise
            except Exception as e:
                if self.params.get('ignoreerrors', False):
                    self.report_error(error_to_compat_str(e), tb=encode_compat_str(traceback.format_exc()))
                    break
                else:
                    raise
        else:
            self.report_error('no suitable InfoExtractor for URL %s' % url)

# Get a appKey/uuid for getting the session key
        appKey = self._search_regex(
            r'constant\s*\(\s*["\']_appGridApplicationKey["\']\s*,\s*["\']([0-9a-f]+)',
            gigya_sc, 'appKey')

        session_json = self._download_json(
            'https://appgrid-api.cloud.accedo.tv/session',
            video_id, 'Downloading session keys', query={
                'appKey': appKey,
                'uuid': compat_str(uuid.uuid4()),
            })

        paths = self._download_json(
            'https://appgrid-api.cloud.accedo.tv/metadata/general_configuration,%20web_configuration',
            video_id, 'Downloading paths JSON',
            query={'sessionKey': compat_str(session_json['sessionKey'])})

        ooyala_s = paths['general_configuration']['api_configuration']['ooyala_search']
        source = self._download_json(
            'http://%s%s%s/docs/%s' % (
                ooyala_s['base_url'], ooyala_s['full_path'],
                ooyala_s['provider_id'], video_id),
            video_id, 'Downloading data JSON', query={
                'include_titles': 'Series,Season',
                'product_name': 'test',
                'format': 'full',
            })['hits']['hits'][0]['_source']

        embedCode = source['offers'][0]['embed_codes'][0]
        titles = source['localizable_titles'][0]

        title = titles.get('title_medium') or titles['title_long']

def _extract_video_info(self, video_info):
        video_id = compat_str(video_info['id'])
        publisher_id = video_info.get('publisherId')
        info = {
            'id': video_id,
            'title': video_info['displayName'].strip(),
            'description': video_info.get('shortDescription'),
            'thumbnail': video_info.get('videoStillURL') or video_info.get('thumbnailURL'),
            'uploader': video_info.get('publisherName'),
            'uploader_id': compat_str(publisher_id) if publisher_id else None,
            'duration': float_or_none(video_info.get('length'), 1000),
            'timestamp': int_or_none(video_info.get('creationDate'), 1000),
        }

        renditions = video_info.get('renditions', []) + video_info.get('IOSRenditions', [])
        if renditions:
            formats = []
            for rend in renditions:
                url = rend['defaultURL']
                if not url:
                    continue
                ext = None
                if rend['remote']:
                    url_comp = compat_urllib_parse_urlparse(url)
                    if url_comp.path.endswith('.m3u8'):
                        formats.extend(

headers['Referer'] = url

        # Extract ID from URL
        mobj = re.match(self._VALID_URL, url)
        video_id = mobj.group('id')
        orig_url = url
        if mobj.group('pro') or mobj.group('player'):
            url = 'https://player.vimeo.com/video/' + video_id
        elif any(p in url for p in ('play_redirect_hls', 'moogaloop.swf')):
            url = 'https://vimeo.com/' + video_id

        # Retrieve video webpage to extract further information
        request = sanitized_Request(url, headers=headers)
        try:
            webpage, urlh = self._download_webpage_handle(request, video_id)
            redirect_url = compat_str(urlh.geturl())
            # Some URLs redirect to ondemand can't be extracted with
            # this extractor right away thus should be passed through
            # ondemand extractor (e.g. https://vimeo.com/73445910)
            if VimeoOndemandIE.suitable(redirect_url):
                return self.url_result(redirect_url, VimeoOndemandIE.ie_key())
        except ExtractorError as ee:
            if isinstance(ee.cause, compat_HTTPError) and ee.cause.code == 403:
                errmsg = ee.cause.read()
                if b'Because of its privacy settings, this video cannot be played here' in errmsg:
                    raise ExtractorError(
                        'Cannot download embed-only video without embedding '
                        'URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page '
                        'that embeds this video.',
                        expected=True)
            raise

def sanitize_string_field(info, string_field):
            field = info.get(string_field)
            if field is None or isinstance(field, compat_str):
                return
            report_force_conversion(string_field, 'a string', 'string')
            info[string_field] = compat_str(field)

playlist = self._parse_json(
            self._search_regex(
                r'window\.pagePlaylist\s*=\s*(\[.+?\]);\n', webpage, 'page playlist'),
            video_id)

        def _mrss_url(item):
            return item['mrss'] + item.get('mrssvars', '')

        # news pages contain single video in playlist with different id
        if len(playlist) == 1:
            return self._get_videos_info_from_url(_mrss_url(playlist[0]), video_id)

        for item in playlist:
            item_id = item.get('id')
            if item_id and compat_str(item_id) == video_id:
                return self._get_videos_info_from_url(_mrss_url(item), video_id)

except IndexError:
                            next_fragment_time = duration
                        fragment_ctx['duration'] = (next_fragment_time - fragment_ctx['time']) / fragment_repeat
                    for _ in range(fragment_repeat):
                        fragments.append({
                            'url': re.sub(r'{start[ _]time}', compat_str(fragment_ctx['time']), track_url_pattern),
                            'duration': fragment_ctx['duration'] / stream_timescale,
                        })
                        fragment_ctx['time'] += fragment_ctx['duration']

                format_id = []
                if ism_id:
                    format_id.append(ism_id)
                if stream_name:
                    format_id.append(stream_name)
                format_id.append(compat_str(tbr))

                formats.append({
                    'format_id': '-'.join(format_id),
                    'url': ism_url,
                    'manifest_url': ism_url,
                    'ext': 'ismv' if stream_type == 'video' else 'isma',
                    'width': width,
                    'height': height,
                    'tbr': tbr,
                    'asr': sampling_rate,
                    'vcodec': 'none' if stream_type == 'audio' else fourcc,
                    'acodec': 'none' if stream_type == 'video' else fourcc,
                    'protocol': 'ism',
                    'fragments': fragments,
                    '_download_params': {
                        'duration': duration,

_, date_str = extract_timezone(date_str)

    for expression in date_formats(day_first):
        try:
            upload_date = datetime.datetime.strptime(date_str, expression).strftime('%Y%m%d')
        except ValueError:
            pass
    if upload_date is None:
        timetuple = email.utils.parsedate_tz(date_str)
        if timetuple:
            try:
                upload_date = datetime.datetime(*timetuple[:6]).strftime('%Y%m%d')
            except ValueError:
                pass
    if upload_date is not None:
        return compat_str(upload_date)