Togle is the act of switching from one view, setting or function to another. It is often used to describe toggle switches or menu items that have two possible outcomes, either on or off.

Using Togle in your App

Toggle is a term that has multiple meanings in computing, and it can be found in options lists and preference boxes across software applications and hardware. For example, a keyboard’s Caps Lock and Num Lock keys are toggles for enabling and disabling specific functions.

Understanding Toggle Switches

In software toggles can be used to indicate state change, similar to how a slider works. They should be labeled and positioned to make it easy for users to understand their meaning.

Color is also an important visual signifier for toggles and can help users identify their meaning. It is important to use high-contrast colors, and ensure that state descriptors such as “On” or “Off” are visible to users.

It is also essential to consider the societal and cultural implications of toggles. For example, people from a different culture may associate red with stop signs and/or stop lights.

Savvy teams keep toggle inventory low by removing toggles that are no longer needed or that are no longer supported. This is particularly the case with Release Toggles which should typically only be around for a week or so.

Runtime Configuration

Many organizations use static files to manage toggle configuration, but this is a relatively fiddly process and the consistency of changes across a large deployment fleet can be difficult. In such cases it is worth considering a solution that exposes a mechanism which allows for dynamic in-memory re-configuration of a toggle.