A toggle is a switch that allows you to choose between two states, like on or off. It can also be used to control a feature or element in your app. A toggle can be a great tool for your users as it gives them the power to control what they see and how they see it.

When using a toggle, it is important to keep in mind that not every element in your app can be controlled by one. For example, if you create a toggle that hides content in article presentation views, spoilers or dynamic content that load later could break the visibility.

It is important to limit the scope of your toggles so they can be easily managed and understood by the rest of your team. This way, you can make sure that no single toggle controls multiple features simultaneously. This will prevent any confusion or conflicts between features that depend on the same code.

The term toggle is a general computer term that can be applied to any switch that has two state options. For instance, a toggle on a keyboard can be used to turn the caps lock off or on. Toggles are commonly found in operating systems, web browsers and mobile applications as they are a common way to provide options for users.

Feature toggles are useful in agile development processes because they allow you to deploy new functionality with a segment of your user base without creating a separate code branch and going through the testing process that would be required under more traditional waterfall methods. The ability to quickly test and validate a new feature with a small segment of users can help reduce the risk that a newly designed or redesigned feature will not be well received by your audience.

When designing toggles, it is important to consider contrast and societal or cultural differences when choosing color for toggle switches. For instance, red for the on position can be a counterintuitive choice in some cultures as it is associated with stop signs or traffic lights. It is also important to use visual cues such as movement and color to make it clear that a toggle has changed states.

It is also recommended to name toggles clearly so that they are easy to find and understand in error messages. The best practice is to create a short, descriptive label that describes what the toggle will do when it is on. This will ensure that someone on your team can easily identify the state of a toggle, even if they don’t know the technical term for it.

Managing the lifecycle of your feature toggles is important as it can be difficult to remove unused ones from your codebase. It is recommended to have a process in place for managing the removal of old toggles as soon as they’ve run their course, whether it be adding code cleanup tasks to your backlog or building the workflow into your management platform.