Toggle Switch
A switch presenting an on or off choice. Visually it is a tickbox with a different control; underneath it is not quite the same.
Where to find it
Architect Panel → Data:
- Datastores — the datastore, then Table Designer to add or edit a field
The difference that matters
A tickbox stores a whole number and is joinable. A toggle switch stores a floating-point value and is not.
For a straightforward yes-or-no flag on a datastore you will report on, that makes the tickbox the better default. Reach for the toggle when the control is what you want and the reporting characteristics do not matter.
Be careful copying a registration
Because the two types store differently, registering a column as one type when the physical column suits the other causes problems that are awkward to trace — values that will not save, or comparisons that behave oddly.
If you are copying an existing field definition as a starting point, check which of the two you have actually copied.
When a toggle is the right control
- Settings. A switch reads as "this is on or off right now", which suits configuration better than a tickbox reading as "I am asserting this".
- Immediate effect. Where flipping it changes something visibly, a switch matches the mental model.
- Touch interfaces, where a switch is an easier target.
When a tickbox is
- Anything you will group or report on.
- Confirmations and agreements — "I accept" is a tickbox, not a switch.
- Anywhere alongside other tickboxes, for visual consistency.
The same three-state problem
Everything said about tickboxes applies. A switch has two positions and often three meanings, and "off" is indistinguishable from "never touched". Where that matters, use a three-option field instead.
Do not mix the two on one form
A form with some tickboxes and some switches looks unfinished and makes people wonder whether the difference means something. Pick one for a given form and stay with it.
Worked example
An instance configuration screen uses toggle switches, because each one turns a feature on or off and the switch reads correctly for that. The datastores those features write to use tickboxes for their flags, because those are reported on weekly.
Recommendations
- Default to the tickbox for datastore flags you will report on.
- Use the switch for settings, where it reads better.
- Check which type you copied when duplicating a field.
- Do not mix both on one form.