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Why do we call it breadcrumbs? Diving into the history of UI components
It started off with a toast. As I was crisping my bread, I wondered why UI notifications were called ‘toasts’. Curious, I started digging into the etymology of UI components.
Toast
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When your toast is ready, it pops up from the toaster to signal that to you. Similarly, toast notifications are time-based UI elements used to display short messages. Like breakfast toast, they also disappear in a few seconds.
Breadcrumbs
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More bread-inspired terms?
“Breadcrumbs” are a metaphor for leaving a trail behind, which is the modern-day term for UI navigation patterns. Breadcrumbs navigation helps a user understand the hierarchy among levels and navigate back through them.
Radio buttons
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A relic from history, the name “radio button” comes from the actual physical buttons that were used in old radios. Push one in and the others pop out.