A toggle is a switch that has two positions, on or off. A toggle can also refer to an act of switching between two states, like toggling between a video chat with one friend and a text chat with another at the same time. In the world of software, toggles are used to enable different code branches, allowing teams to quickly test and validate new features with a subset of their user base before rolling them out for everyone.

Toggle is also the name of a feature flag management platform that makes it easy for teams to deploy and manage feature flags across their applications. Although toggles can be very powerful, they should be deployed sparingly and only when necessary. Too many toggles can confuse users and create maintenance overhead for the team. In addition, it is important to have a process for pruning old toggles as they expire and no longer serve a purpose.

The use of a toggle in the context of article navigation is very common for sites that have multiple content streams and want to allow users to easily choose the stream that is most relevant to them. The ability to hide sections and items while displaying other content is crucial for creating a more efficient reading experience. The Content Toggle element is a good way to accomplish this without cluttering the page and sacrificing usability.

A toggle should always have a clear and concise label that describes what the control will do when activated. The label should be stated in the proximity of the toggle and should utilize visual cues to prevent confusion. For example, a toggle that appears as a slider should use the shape and movement of a slider to indicate that it is active. If a toggle has multiple labels, they should be clearly separated and positioned in a way that is easy to distinguish.

In the world of web development, a toggle can be applied to any kind of widget or interface element. It is especially useful in responsive design to control the visibility of elements based on screen size or device. This allows teams to quickly experiment with different layouts for different devices and screens.

There are many ways to apply a toggle in an article, but there are a few common uses that are essential to the platform. The most obvious is the visibility toggle, which hides sections and items in the article presentation. This allows you to experiment with different layouts for your audience and validate their effectiveness with a subset of the population before implementing them across the entire site.

Toggles are a very flexible tool and can be used to achieve any type of article layout, but they should be deployed sparingly. Avoid using them to hide content that is not intended to be hidden. This includes article sections that are created by template specific prompt fields as well as the vignette at the top of an article.