A toggle is a switch with two positions: on and off. A toggle can also refer to the act of switching back and forth between settings or programs, as when a user might toggle between screens as they video chat with two friends at once.
In software development, a feature toggle (also known as a feature flag) is a way to control the behavior of code without needing to release the new functionality to your entire audience. By enabling a feature for a subset of users, you can test it in the real world and rollback changes if needed.
Feature toggles can be used to hide article sections, containers, images, maps, key/value items, prompt linked articles, quotes, aloud boxes and character relations. However, a few important elements cannot be toggled: article title, author name, and credits, map pins, and the article vignette.
When creating a toggle button, it is important to use clear labels that communicate what the switch does and its current state. Toggle buttons should be clearly marked as such with a distinct label text, icon and color. When choosing a color, consider both contrast and cultural implications as not all audiences will associate the same colors with states.
A savvy team views their toggle inventory as carrying cost and seeks to keep that low by being proactive in removing toggles that are no longer needed. Some teams have rules for adding a toggle removal task to the team’s backlog as part of every release. Others put expiration dates on toggles to prevent them from hanging around in production for too long.
