Hello ! I'm using retrofit to get some data from a...

# android

[CamilleBC]

Hello ! I'm using retrofit to get some data from a website. What is the best practice to return data from a call onResponse ? Should I:
* pass a callback and send the data back through it?
* use the https://github.com/gildor/kotlin-coroutines-retrofit library?
* pass a LiveData as parameter to the call function and post the value to it?

[gildor]

It depends on your use case

[gildor]

you can use my library if you plan to use coroutines and you already have some services with Call<T> type
Soon Retrofit will support suspend functions out of the box

[CamilleBC]

I do use them already. I might go for your library then, as I like to have a method with a clear return type.

[gildor]

clear return type will be with support of suspend functions

[gildor]

https://github.com/square/retrofit/pull/2886

[gildor]

for now you can use Call<T> and my library
Or you can use Deffered<T> and this library
https://github.com/JakeWharton/retrofit2-kotlin-coroutines-adapter

[CamilleBC]

Oh cool thanks. I think I already used that one once as well. Thanks for all those infos.

[CamilleBC]

So there's no reason against using a LiveData for now?

[CamilleBC]

I will postpone the refactor for a bit if that's the case.

[gildor]

I don’t see why do you need LiveData with coroutines for network requests

[gildor]

because coroutines already enforce you to explicitly specify lifecycle

[CamilleBC]

I'm using coroutines for the project, but not for networking right now. Sorry I should have been clearer.

[gildor]

I believe coroutines is the best option for networking

[gildor]

very clear code, no callbacks, lifecycle safe out of the bbox

[CamilleBC]

Oh, if that is the case, I might as well get to it now. Do you have any particular reason for saying so?

[CamilleBC]

Thanks.

[gildor]

Also approach with LiveData is pretty different, because LiveData is not a promise like abstraction. Also LiveData as observable can be used together with coroutines