General class to represent any API response, success or failure

[The-Futurist]

I'm seeking to bring consistency to an API server I've developed. I have in various places stuff like:

var problem = new ProblemDetails
{
    Title = "Student doctoral record section",
    Instance = HttpContext.Request.Path,
    Detail = $"A student doctoral record section already exists with Code ='{sectionData.Code}', enrollment request rejected.",
};

problem.Extensions["ApiCode"] = ServiceErrorCode.STUDENT_SECTION_EXISTS;

return BadRequest(problem);

and

return Ok("Student already enrolled");

I want to devise a general purpose class that can represent either success or failure (as well as any actual data).

Is something like this a reasonable start:

public class ApiResult<T>
{
    public bool Success { get; set; }
    public T? Data { get; set; }
    public ProblemDetails? Error { get; set; }
    public string TraceId { get; set; } = default!;
}

[gfoidl]

Do you know How to create responses in Minimal API apps?

Series: Working with the result pattern may also be worth a read.

In your type I'd at least try to reduce the size of it.

public class ApiResult<T>
{
-   public bool Success { get; set; }
+   public bool Success => Data is not null;
    public T? Data { get; set; }
    public ProblemDetails? Error { get; set; }
    public string TraceId { get; set; } = default!;
}

or use a union like type where Data and Error is collapsed in a field, then expose just the properties for Data and Error.

But when you've read the above links, maybe you think different about the approach...