Projects/Usability/HIG/Toggle Buttons

    From KDE TechBase

    A toggle button is a button which stays down when clicked once and goes up when clicked a second time.

    When to use

    Use a toggle button to indicate a state.

    Example: A word processor should use toggle buttons to indicate the state of "Bold", "Italic" or "Underline" formatting.

    When not to use

    Do not use a toggle button to indicate an action.

    Example: A music player should not use a toggle button to implement a Play/Pause button. It should use a normal button and adjust the icon and label to represent the action which would be performed when clicked.

    Icon and label

    Never change the icon or label of a toggle button. A toggle button is very similar to a check box. It should thus be used in the same way.

    The fact that it is pressed down is enough to indicate the current state of the element it represents.