Toggle is a tool in the dev team’s arsenal to support continuous delivery and agile processes. When used appropriately it is a very powerful mechanism for controlling the flow of features through an application. However, like any tool in the toolbox it can cause harm if overused or misused.
Feature toggles are great for allowing product teams to experiment with functionality before it’s ready for full rollout. They can also act as circuit breakers in the code to prevent regressions from causing unexpected outages in production. Depending on how they are used and the complexity of the implementation they can also be a useful way to test new functionality with segments of the audience before releasing it to the entire user base.
Many teams choose to use static files or some type of centralized feature flag management system (aka a “feature flagger”) to store and modify their toggle configuration. However, managing this process can become cumbersome as the number of toggles grows. Additionally, if a toggle isn’t managed in a consistent manner the results can be inconsistent across different servers and environments. Using a dedicated feature flagging platform such as Kameleoon can reduce technical debt by simplifying the process of managing feature toggles and their configuration.
Another consideration when designing your feature toggles is accessibility. Designers often rely on color to signify state — green for on and red for off — but this can be a challenge for users with screen readers or other assistive technologies. To help make toggles more accessible, it is a best practice to avoid relying solely on color and use other signifiers, such as text labels or iconography, to indicate status.
As with any type of feature, it’s important to limit the scope of a toggle to the minimum amount needed to complete the task at hand. Otherwise, it can be confusing for users and a disaster to debug weeks or even months down the line when the code path is entangled with a larger series of toggles.
A final best practice for feature toggles is to prune them as soon as they’re no longer needed. Leaving them in the codebase can introduce maintenance issues and slow down development cycles. It’s a good idea to include a toggle removal process in your product roadmap or build out this capability into your feature flag management platform.
This article was originally published in our Grandmaster subscription tier and is now available to our Master subscription tier subscribers. If you’re interested in accessing the rest of our Master content, upgrade here.
The Visibility Toggle lets you change how public articles appear at a moment’s notice without having to edit them. Click here to learn how to use it.
Toggle is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal to enable you to create more beautiful and dynamic WordPress websites. Whether you’re working on a brand-new site or a seasoned blogger, we’ve got you covered.
Want more tips and tricks for building and maintaining high-performing websites? Subscribe to our newsletter today.