A toggle is a switch that lets people manage the state of something. It’s used in technology, computing, programming, and communications to enable users to select between two or more options or states. When activated, a toggle changes its state to one option or mode; when deactivated it changes back to the original state. Toggles can be found on screens of every type, from mobile devices to desktops and beyond.
When using toggles in a user interface it’s important to be clear about what they do and how they work. Toggle switches should be easy to read and have simple visual design to indicate their current state. They should also be well-positioned and deliver a clear, immediate result.
Toggles are used for a wide range of reasons, but they’re commonly used to create responsive designs in web development. For example, they’re often used to control the visibility of navigation menus and sidebars in a website or app based on screen size or device type. They’re also used to change the layout of content on a page or app based on screen width and other factors.
As with other UI elements, it’s important to use toggles sparingly. Overuse of them can lead to confusion and inconsistency, especially if the toggles aren’t clearly labeled or have inconsistent visual design. In addition, it’s important to avoid mixing toggles with other UI components, such as drop-down menus and sliders. The latter types of controls require a different set of user interactions and may not work as well with toggles.
Feature Toggles are Boolean variables that represent an active or inactive state of a feature. They’re usually associated with a trigger event, such as a button click or other user input, and are switched between on and off based on that event or triggered condition. The trigger can be any number of things, from a fitness test result in the codebase to a setting in the application’s feature management software or even a variable provided by a config file.
A common use of toggles is for multivariate or A/B testing, in which each user of the system is placed into a cohort that’s consistently sent down one or another codepath. This allows the business to measure the effectiveness of new features before releasing them widely.
Feature Toggles are powerful tools, but they’re dangerous if left unchecked. Savvy teams view them as inventory that comes with a carrying cost and make it a point to minimize their number and scope. Some teams have rules such as adding a task to the team’s backlog whenever a new release toggle is introduced, while others have “expiration dates” on their toggles so they’re removed from the production codebase once they’ve been tested and proven. Keeping the toggle inventory under control is key to avoiding technical debt that can become difficult to clean up months or even years down the road.
