A toggle is a hardware or software switch that allows the user to bind one function to another. Examples are the Caps Lock and Num Lock keys on a keyboard, or the options menu in any application. In web development, toggles can also be used to hide or reveal different sections of an article or page. When using a toggle, it is important to make sure that the toggle can only be switched between two states. This is important because toggles should always be clear and easy to understand, and they should not confuse users in any way.
Toggle switches should be used sparingly and with caution, but when they are appropriate they can provide an excellent user experience by providing a quick and effective method for changing preferences or settings. They should be clearly labeled, and they should use standard visual design. A toggle should also be fast to respond, and it is best if the user doesn’t have to click a Save or Confirm button for changes to take effect.
Some teams use toggles to perform A/B or multivariate testing on portions of their product. This technique can be useful to test changes such as color, layout, or text size. Using toggles can reduce the amount of work required to implement these types of changes, and it can allow the results of the experiment to be analyzed quickly.
A toggle can also be used to implement a “dark mode” or other theme for an application. This can be an easy way for users to customize the look and feel of a website or app, and it can help improve usability by making the interface less visually busy.
The word toggle comes from the Latin toga, meaning rod or stick, and originally meant a pin passed through a loop or eye of a rope or chain to fasten it. The word was later applied to a sliding bolt or pin in a frame to secure it to the rails.
Today, we still use the term to describe a hardware or software switch that can be bound to either an “on” or an “off” state. It is a common feature in many technology devices and applications, and it provides an efficient and user-friendly method for adjusting features and preferences. It is also used in software programming to denote a class that can be made either public or private. It is often used for methods that should only be accessible to authorized members of a project team. This ensures that confidential information is not accidentally exposed to the rest of the codebase. Savvy teams realize that every toggle in the codebase has a carrying cost and try to keep the number of toggles low by proactively removing flags when they are no longer needed. Some teams even put “expiration dates” on their toggles to force them to be removed by a certain time or date.
