I'm getting from server a list response like this ...

# ktor

[Lukasz Kalnik]

I'm getting from server a list response like this [{"id":1}, {"id":2}] (without enclosing JSON object). How do I deserialize it?

[jw]

ListSerializer(YourType.serializer())

[Lukasz Kalnik]

So for Json I configure it like this in the `HttpClient`:

install(ContentNegotiation) {
    json(Json)
}

Can I somehow register this ListSerializer as well, so the client tries it automatically when receiving the response?

[Johann Pardanaud]

Won’t this work? val list: List<YourType> = response.body()

[Daniel Pitts]

response.body<List<YourType>>() if you don't want to val it.

[Daniel Pitts]

FWIW, an API that returns a JSON Array is a design-smell. "Oh, you want to report pagination? Hmm, can't do that with an array, too bad."

[jw]

You absolutely can, as there are headers in which pagination cursors can be placed.

[Lukasz Kalnik]

Thank you!

[Daniel Pitts]

@jw that’s some dark magic there ;-)

[Johann Pardanaud]

Not at all, here's an example with GitHub's API

Which is using the Link HTTP header, defined in the HTTP specification.

[Johann Pardanaud]

I'm not a "REST everywhere" type of guy, but if you want to create a RESTful API, then you should only provide the data in the payload, and add the metadata to the headers

[Daniel Pitts]

I was being flippant, since it’s an obvious answer in retrospect, but I didn’t think of it myself