What Is a Togle?

October 22, 2024 by No Comments

The word toggle means “switch or alternate.” It’s commonly used in technology, computing, and programming to provide users with a way to switch between two functions. For example, in a video chat app you might toggle between the main screen and the camera view. In software you might use a toggle to enable or disable features like background audio or file sharing.

The best design practice for toggle buttons is to avoid ambiguity by using clear visual cues, such as movement or color, that make the current state obvious. It is also important that toggle labels describe what the control will do when activated, and be as concise as possible. The wording of the label is particularly important since users often read toggles with their eyes closed, and if the words are unclear they may misinterpret its status.

A great benefit of toggles is that they enable agile development processes to release features while they’re still being developed. Previously those features would need to be developed on separate code branches and go through a lengthy testing and QA process before they could be integrated into trunk code. Using feature toggles helps teams keep users happy with new functionality while allowing them to iterate on old features in the background.

Savvy teams take the inventory of unused toggles seriously and keep it low by adding toggle removal tasks to their backlogs or building a process into their management platform. Leaving idle toggles in your codebase increases the cost of maintenance, so it’s crucial to prune them as soon as they’re no longer needed.