m.request pagination limits and query bounding behavior in Mithril.js

Answer

Mithril’s m.request does not expose a built‑in way to enforce server‑side limits; you must add the limit/offset (or cursor) parameters yourself in the URL, query string, or request body.

Confirmed facts

• m.request only sends what you provide in its options; there is no automatic pagination or query‑bounding feature.
• When rendering a list with stable keys (e.g., key={item.id}), Mithril’s virtual DOM diff reuses existing DOM nodes for matching keys and only creates/destroys nodes whose keys change.
• After a m.request promise resolves, Mithril schedules a redraw on the next animation frame, updating any changed list items.

Likely explanation / recommended approach

Pagination state is usually kept in one of three places:

1. Component state (e.g., this.page) – simplest for client‑only navigation.
2. Route parameters (via m.route.set) – makes the page bookmarkable but forces a full route‑resolver reload on each change.
3. A m.stream (or similar observable) – lets you subscribe and trigger redraws automatically when the token changes.

The choice depends on whether your API uses offset/limit pagination or cursor‑based pagination; the latter requires storing a cursor token instead of numeric offsets.

Steps for this case

// component example
oninit: function(vnode) {
  vnode.state.page = 0;
  vnode.state.limit = 20;
  loadPage(vnode.state);
},
loadPage: function(state) {
  m.request({
    method: 'GET',
    url: '/api/items',
    data: { limit: state.limit, offset: state.page * state.limit },
    // optionally set background:true to defer redraw
  }).then(function(result) {
    vnode.state.items = result.data;
    // Mithril will redraw automatically after the promise resolves
  });
},
// UI controls to change page
onclick: function(e, vnode) {
  if (e.target.id === 'next') { vnode.state.page += 1; }
  if (e.target.id === 'prev' && vnode.state.page > 0) { vnode.state.page -= 1; }
  loadPage(vnode.state);
}

Missing diagnostic detail

Does your backend use offset/limit pagination or cursor‑based pagination? This determines whether to store offset/limit values or a cursor token in your chosen state location.