When an API call fails, showing a blank screen or crashing the app ruins the user experience. Here\u2019s a clean way to manage those failures in MVVM using Kotlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If an API call fails because of network issues or server problems, many apps either crash or show a blank screen. How do you make sure users still see something useful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use a sealed class like Resource to handle different outcomes: Success, Error, and Loading. Then connect it with LiveData or StateFlow in your ViewModel to update the UI based on each case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
kotlin\n\/\/ 1. Define the Resource wrapper\nsealed class Resource<T> {\n data class Success<T>(val data: T): Resource<T>()\n data class Error<T>(val message: String): Resource<T>()\n class Loading<T>: Resource<T>()\n}\n\n\/\/ 2. Repository method\nsuspend fun getData(): Resource<User> = try {\n val response = api.getUser()\n Resource.Success(response)\n} catch (e: Exception) {\n Resource.Error(e.localizedMessage ?: \"Unknown Error\")\n}\n\n\/\/ 3. ViewModel usage\nval user = MutableLiveData<Resource<User>>()\n\nfun fetchUser() = viewModelScope.launch {\n user.value = Resource.Loading()\n user.value = repository.getData()\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n