Roblox custom input filter script implementation is something almost every developer has to tackle eventually, especially if you're planning on letting players talk to each other or customize anything with text. If you've ever played a game where someone tried to name their pet something "creative" and it turned into a string of hashtags, you've seen a filtering script in action. It's not just about keeping things family-friendly; it's actually a strict requirement from Roblox. If you let unfiltered text fly around your game, you're basically asking for a moderation strike or, worse, getting your game deleted.
The truth is, building a system that handles text input isn't as scary as the documentation sometimes makes it out to be. You just need to understand how the handoff works between the player's computer and the Roblox servers. In this guide, we're going to break down how to set up a solid system that keeps your game safe and compliant.
Why You Can't Just Write Your Own Filter
Before we dive into the code, let's clear one thing up: you cannot simply write a list of "bad words" and call it a day. While you can add a custom layer to your roblox custom input filter script, Roblox requires you to use their internal TextService.
Why? Because their system is constantly updated, handles multiple languages, and understands context that a simple string.find() never will. Plus, they have different levels of filtering based on a player's age. A 10-year-old and a 20-year-old might see different versions of the same sentence depending on how strict the filter needs to be. If you bypass this, you're breaking the Terms of Service. So, our goal here is to wrap Roblox's official tools into a script that works for your specific game needs.
The Basic Workflow of Text Filtering
When a player types something into a TextBox, that happens on the Client. However, the filtering must happen on the Server. You should never trust the client to filter its own text because a malicious user could just bypass that script entirely.
The flow usually looks like this: 1. The player types something into a UI. 2. The client sends that string to the server via a RemoteEvent. 3. The server receives the string and runs it through the TextService. 4. The server sends the "clean" text back or displays it to other players.
Setting Up the Server-Side Logic
Let's talk about the meat of the roblox custom input filter script. You'll be spending most of your time in a Script inside ServerScriptService.
To filter text, you use TextService:FilterStringAsync(). This function is "asynchronous," which is just a fancy way of saying it might take a second to talk to the Roblox servers and get a response. Because of this, you should always wrap it in a pcall (protected call). If the Roblox filtering service goes down or hits a hiccup, you don't want your entire script to crash and burn.
Example of a Filtering Function
Inside your server script, you'd want a function that looks a bit like this:
```lua local TextService = game:GetService("TextService")
local function getFilteredText(text, fromPlayerId) local filterResult local success, err = pcall(function() filterResult = TextService:FilterStringAsync(text, fromPlayerId) end)
if success then return filterResult else warn("Error filtering text: " .. err) return nil end end ```
In this snippet, fromPlayerId is the UserID of the person who sent the message. This is crucial because the filter adjusts its strictness based on that specific user's account settings.
Broadcasting vs. Specific Users
One mistake I see a lot of beginners make is using the wrong method to display the filtered text. Once you have your filterResult from the code above, you have to decide who is going to see it.
If you want everyone in the server to see the text (like a global chat or a sign in the town square), you use :GetNonChatStringForBroadcastAsync(). This applies the strictest filtering possible to ensure that even the youngest players see a safe version.
If you're doing a private message between two players, you'd use :GetChatForUserAsync(toPlayerId). This allows for a slightly more relaxed filter if both players are older, while still blocking the truly bad stuff.
Handling the RemoteEvent
To make your roblox custom input filter script actually useful, you need to connect it to a RemoteEvent. Let's say you have a RemoteEvent in ReplicatedStorage named SubmitText.
On the server, your code would look something like this:
```lua local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage") local SubmitEvent = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("SubmitText")
SubmitEvent.OnServerEvent:Connect(function(player, rawText) -- Don't trust the client! Check if the text is too long. if #rawText > 200 then return end
local filterResult = getFilteredText(rawText, player.UserId) if filterResult then local safeText = "" local success, err = pcall(function() safeText = filterResult:GetNonChatStringForBroadcastAsync() end) if success then -- Now you can do something with safeText, -- like updating a billboard or sending it to other players. print("Filtered text: " .. safeText) end end end) ```
Adding Your Own "Custom" Touches
While we have to use Roblox's filter, we can still add our own "custom" logic to the roblox custom input filter script. Maybe you want to block specific words that aren't necessarily "bad" but are annoying for your game's community—like naming other games or spamming specific phrases.
You can run a simple check before even calling the TextService. For example:
```lua local bannedWords = {"spam", "cheat", "glitch"}
local function containsBannedWord(text) for _, word in pairs(bannedWords) do if string.find(string.lower(text), word) then return true end end return false end ```
Just remember: this is an addition to the official filter, not a replacement. Use it to prune the specific stuff you don't want in your community.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
I've spent plenty of nights debugging why a roblox custom input filter script wasn't working, and usually, it comes down to a few common blunders.
First, Studio testing is weird. Sometimes the filter doesn't actually work when you're testing in Roblox Studio. You might see the text exactly as you typed it, or it might just error out. Don't panic. To really see the filter in action, you usually need to publish the game and join a live server with a friend (or a second account).
Second, rate limiting. If a player is mash-clicking a button that sends text to the server, you're going to hit the API limit for TextService. You should always include a "debounce" (a cooldown) on the client and a check on the server to make sure one person isn't spamming the filter requests.
Third, failing to handle errors. I mentioned pcall earlier, but I can't stress it enough. If the filtering service is down and you didn't use a pcall, your script will stop dead. Always have a fallback—usually, just don't display the text if the filter fails.
Making the UX Feel Good
Nobody likes typing a long sentence only to have the whole thing turn into "#######". If you're building a roblox custom input filter script for something like a character's biography, it's a nice touch to let the player know why their text was rejected or censored.
While you can't tell them exactly which word triggered the filter (Roblox doesn't give us that info), you can at least show them the filtered version in a preview window before they "save" it. This saves them the frustration of seeing the hashtags only after they've closed the menu.
Wrapping Up
Building a roblox custom input filter script is really about being a responsible developer. It might feel like a chore compared to making cool explosions or complex combat systems, but it's the backbone of a safe community.
By using TextService correctly, wrapping your calls in pcall for safety, and handling the communication between client and server through RemoteEvents, you're setting yourself up for success. Just keep it simple, respect the API limits, and always prioritize player safety. Your game—and your players—will be better off for it. Plus, you won't have to worry about a surprise ban because someone decided to write something inappropriate on a wooden sign in your lobby!