Toggle is a switch that can be turned on and off. It’s a form of binary or “on-off” control that’s often used in electronic devices and systems. It’s also common in computer programming. For example, toggles are a key component of options menus found in most software applications. The word toggle has been around since the 18th century, when it originally meant a pin passed through an eye of a rope to hold it in place. Later, it was a term for a lever that could be moved up and down. Today, the word is still in use for a variety of purposes, from a tool that can switch between different settings to a verb that can be applied to any kind of switching activity.

Toggles are valuable in the trunk-based development process and help speed up code deployment cycles. However, it’s important to use toggles correctly to avoid confusion and maintain accessibility for users.

Creating an effective toggle requires picking the right visual clues, such as movement and color. Unfortunately, many designers use simple colors (e.g. green for “on” and red for “off”) which don’t provide enough clarity for users with color blindness and other vision disabilities.

In addition to selecting the right visual cues, it’s essential to ensure that the toggles are clearly labeled. Toggle switches should always have a text label that explains what the switch does when it’s activated. This will help reduce user confusion, especially for new or experienced users. It’s also a good idea to limit the lifespan of release toggles and remove them from the code as soon as you can determine that they’re stable.