code: def encode(in_bytes):
      
      out_bytes = []
      idx = 0
      search_start_idx = 0
      for in_char in in_bytes:
          if idx - search_start_idx == 0xFE:
              out_bytes.append('\xFF')
              out_bytes.append(in_bytes[search_start_idx:idx])
              search_start_idx = idx
          if in_char == '\x00':
              out_bytes.append(chr(idx - search_start_idx + 1))
              out_bytes.append(in_bytes[search_start_idx:idx])
              search_start_idx = idx + 1
          idx += 1
      try:
          final_byte = in_bytes[-1]
      except IndexError:
          final_byte = '\x00'
      length_value = idx - search_start_idx + 1
      if ord(final_byte) < length_value:
          # Encoding same as plain COBS
          out_bytes.append(chr(length_value))
          out_bytes.append(in_bytes[search_start_idx:idx])
      else:
          # Special COBS/R encoding: length code is final byte,
          # and final byte is removed from data sequence.
          out_bytes.append(final_byte)
          out_bytes.append(in_bytes[search_start_idx:idx - 1])
      return ''.join(out_bytes)
docs: Encode a string using Consistent Overhead Byte Stuffing/Reduced (COBS/R).
      
      Input is any byte string. Output is also a byte string.
      
      Encoding guarantees no zero bytes in the output. The output
      string may be expanded slightly, by a predictable amount.
      
      An empty string is encoded to '\\x01