A toggle is a simple user interface element that allows the user to select between two opposing states. Toggles can be used to change settings, preferences, permissions and more. When implemented properly, they allow the user to update their experience in an intuitive way that is clear and delivers immediate results. Toggles can be very useful in a variety of situations, but should be used sparingly because they have the potential to introduce confusion if not managed carefully. To avoid confusing users, it’s important to make sure that the toggle is clearly labeled and uses standard visual design conventions.
Toggle switches are a good alternative to radio buttons and checkboxes because they are easy to read, and provide a consistent and unambiguous user experience. When using a toggle, ensure that the current state is clearly labeled by including an on/off indicator with the toggle. It’s also best to use a high-contrast color, as not everyone can see red (for instance). Additionally, it’s important to consider societal and cultural implications when selecting a toggle state, especially with regards to colors that may signal danger or warning.
Feature toggles are powerful tools that can be used to enable/disable code at runtime and allow developers to test features in a production environment without impacting the live experience. However, they can quickly become a management nightmare if not properly managed. A good practice is to always create a new toggle for every new feature that is deployed, and to never reuse toggles that are no longer needed.
Toggles can be used to configure a variety of different elements, from CSS classes to HTML attributes. Toggles are most often triggered by events and actions, such as a button click or a DOM mutation. Toggle elements can also be set to persist their state across sessions or even browser tabs, depending on the type of toggle.
When creating a toggle, it’s important to choose an appropriate name for the state that it represents. This will help developers and QA teams understand the current state of the toggle at any given time. It’s also important to use descriptive names, so that people can quickly determine which toggle a given error message is referring to.
The number of active toggles in a codebase can have a significant impact on the velocity and quality of automated tests. To prevent this, savvy teams often use an in-memory feature flag system to re-configure the running process when a toggle state is changed. This can greatly reduce the time it takes for a release to be validated and improves the feedback loop in CI/CD processes.
Another common practice is to regularly prune old toggles from the codebase as they are no longer required. This can be done by adding a task to the team backlog or building in a process into the feature flag management platform. In some cases, teams may even put an expiration date on toggles to ensure that they are removed before their lifecycle ends.
