Difference between ListResultDto and List

Question

In my application service, why should I return ListResultDto instead of returning List?

It seems like extra work.

On the frontend, it means I need to access the items property instead of treating the results as an array e.g.

Using ListResultDto

.subscribe((next) => this.entities = next.items);

Using List

.subscrube((next) => this.entities = next);

Answer 1

Using ListResultDto allows you to add additional information about your items in the future without breaking your existing API. If you return items as an array, you are restricting your API.

An example is TotalCount in PagedResultDto, if you want to implement pagination of items.