RemoteFunction

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A server should rarely invoke a client via InvokeClient() as it can be potentially game breaking. For client-only actions that don't require a callback, like updating a GUI, a server-to-client remote event should be used instead. If InvokeClient() is used, risks include:

If the client throws an error, the server will throw the error too.
If the client disconnects while it's being invoked, the InvokeClient() call will error.
If the client never returns a value, the server will hang forever.

A RemoteFunction is used to create in-game APIs that both the client and the server can use to communicate with each other. Like BindableFunction, a RemoteFunction can be invoked (called) to do a certain action and return the results.

If the result is not needed, we recommend that you use a RemoteEvent instead, since its call is asynchronous and doesn't need to wait for a response to continue execution. See Remote Functions and Events.

Code Samples

RemoteFunction1

-- In a server script
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local remoteFunction = ReplicatedStorage.RemoteFunction

function remoteFunction.OnServerInvoke(player, name)
	print("Hi, my name is", name, "and this invocation came from", player.Name)
	return player.Name
end

RemoteFunctions: Server to Client (Script)

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPopupRequest = Instance.new("RemoteFunction")
createPopupRequest.Name = "CreatePopupRequest"
createPopupRequest.Parent = ReplicatedStorage
Players.CharacterAutoLoads = false

local function onPlayerAdded(player)
	createPopupRequest:InvokeClient(player)
	player:LoadCharacter()
end

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(onPlayerAdded)

RemoteFunctions: Server to Client (LocalScript)

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local playerGui = player:WaitForChild("PlayerGui")
local createPopupRequest = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("CreatePopupRequest")

local function onCreatePopupRequested()
	local screen = Instance.new("ScreenGui")
	screen.Parent = playerGui

	local closeButton = Instance.new("TextButton")
	closeButton.Text = "Welcome to the game! Click me to play!"
	closeButton.Size = UDim2.new(0, 300, 0, 50)
	closeButton.Parent = screen

	closeButton.MouseButton1Click:Wait()
	closeButton.Visible = false
end

createPopupRequest.OnClientInvoke = onCreatePopupRequested

RemoteFunctions: Client to Server (Script)

local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPartRequest = Instance.new("RemoteFunction")
createPartRequest.Parent = ReplicatedStorage
createPartRequest.Name = "CreatePartRequest"

local function onCreatePartRequested(player)
	print(player.Name, "wants to create a new part")
	local newPart = Instance.new("Part")
	newPart.Parent = workspace
	return newPart
end

createPartRequest.OnServerInvoke = onCreatePartRequested

RemoteFunctions: Client to Server (LocalScript)

local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPartRequest = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("CreatePartRequest")

local newPart = createPartRequest:InvokeServer()
print("The server created this part for me:", newPart)

Summary

Properties

Properties inherited from Instance

Methods

InvokeClient(player: Player, arguments: Tuple): Tuple YIELDS

Calls the function bound to the RemoteFunction by RemoteFunction.OnClientInvoke for the given Player. Use only in a Script.

InvokeServer(arguments: Tuple): Tuple YIELDS

Calls the function bound to the RemoteFunction by RemoteFunction.OnServerInvoke and returns what that function returns. Use only in a LocalScript.

Methods inherited from Instance

Events

Events inherited from Instance

Callbacks

OnClientInvoke(arguments: Tuple)

OnServerInvoke(player: Player, arguments: Tuple)

Properties

Properties inherited from Instance

Methods

InvokeClient

Tuple

Yields

Calls the function bound to the RemoteFunction by RemoteFunction.OnClientInvoke for the given Player. Use only in a Script.

In practice, the server does not often invoke the client, as clients typically do not have information that the server doesn't have, and actions that only a client can take, such as displaying a GUI, typically do not require a callback. As such, RemoteEvent:FireClient() is recommended as an asynchronous method that doesn't need to wait for a response to continue execution.

See also RemoteFunction:InvokeServer() and RemoteFunction.OnServerInvoke for invoking the server from a client.

Warning

If a client throws an error or disconnects while it is being invoked from the server, RemoteFunction:InvokeClient() will error. It is therefore recommended to wrap this method in pcall() so it doesn't stop execution of other code.

For more information, see Remote Events and Functions.

Parameters

player: Player

The Player that the remote function is being fired to.

arguments: Tuple

The arguments passed to the RemoteEvent.OnClientInvoke method.

Returns

Tuple

Values returned by RemoteFunction.OnClientInvoke.

Code Samples

RemoteFunctions: Server to Client (Script)

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPopupRequest = Instance.new("RemoteFunction")
createPopupRequest.Name = "CreatePopupRequest"
createPopupRequest.Parent = ReplicatedStorage
Players.CharacterAutoLoads = false

local function onPlayerAdded(player)
	createPopupRequest:InvokeClient(player)
	player:LoadCharacter()
end

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(onPlayerAdded)

RemoteFunctions: Server to Client (LocalScript)

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local playerGui = player:WaitForChild("PlayerGui")
local createPopupRequest = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("CreatePopupRequest")

local function onCreatePopupRequested()
	local screen = Instance.new("ScreenGui")
	screen.Parent = playerGui

	local closeButton = Instance.new("TextButton")
	closeButton.Text = "Welcome to the game! Click me to play!"
	closeButton.Size = UDim2.new(0, 300, 0, 50)
	closeButton.Parent = screen

	closeButton.MouseButton1Click:Wait()
	closeButton.Visible = false
end

createPopupRequest.OnClientInvoke = onCreatePopupRequested

InvokeServer

Tuple

Yields

A client invoking the server is necessary when the server either has access to information the client does not, or the client requests an action that only the server can perform. Used in a LocalScript, RemoteFunction:InvokeServer() calls the function bound to the RemoteFunction by RemoteFunction.OnServerInvoke and returns what that function returns.

If a returned result is not needed, it's recommended to use RemoteEvent:FireServer() instead, as its call is asynchronous and doesn't need to wait for a response to continue execution.

See also RemoteFunction:InvokeClient() and RemoteFunction.OnClientInvoke for invoking a particular client from the server.

For more information, see Remote Events and Functions.

Parameters

arguments: Tuple

The arguments passed to the RemoteEvent.OnServerInvoke method.

Returns

Tuple

Values returned by RemoteFunction.OnServerInvoke.

Code Samples

RemoteFunctions: Client to Server (Script)

local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPartRequest = Instance.new("RemoteFunction")
createPartRequest.Parent = ReplicatedStorage
createPartRequest.Name = "CreatePartRequest"

local function onCreatePartRequested(player)
	print(player.Name, "wants to create a new part")
	local newPart = Instance.new("Part")
	newPart.Parent = workspace
	return newPart
end

createPartRequest.OnServerInvoke = onCreatePartRequested

RemoteFunctions: Client to Server (LocalScript)

local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPartRequest = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("CreatePartRequest")

local newPart = createPartRequest:InvokeServer()
print("The server created this part for me:", newPart)

Methods inherited from Instance

Events

Events inherited from Instance

Callbacks

OnClientInvoke

Tuple

Parameters

arguments: Tuple

Returns

Tuple

Code Samples

RemoteFunctions: Server to Client (Script)

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPopupRequest = Instance.new("RemoteFunction")
createPopupRequest.Name = "CreatePopupRequest"
createPopupRequest.Parent = ReplicatedStorage
Players.CharacterAutoLoads = false

local function onPlayerAdded(player)
	createPopupRequest:InvokeClient(player)
	player:LoadCharacter()
end

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(onPlayerAdded)

RemoteFunctions: Server to Client (LocalScript)

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local player = Players.LocalPlayer
local playerGui = player:WaitForChild("PlayerGui")
local createPopupRequest = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("CreatePopupRequest")

local function onCreatePopupRequested()
	local screen = Instance.new("ScreenGui")
	screen.Parent = playerGui

	local closeButton = Instance.new("TextButton")
	closeButton.Text = "Welcome to the game! Click me to play!"
	closeButton.Size = UDim2.new(0, 300, 0, 50)
	closeButton.Parent = screen

	closeButton.MouseButton1Click:Wait()
	closeButton.Visible = false
end

createPopupRequest.OnClientInvoke = onCreatePopupRequested

OnServerInvoke

Tuple

Parameters

player: Player

arguments: Tuple

Returns

Tuple

Code Samples

RemoteFunctions: Client to Server (Script)

local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPartRequest = Instance.new("RemoteFunction")
createPartRequest.Parent = ReplicatedStorage
createPartRequest.Name = "CreatePartRequest"

local function onCreatePartRequested(player)
	print(player.Name, "wants to create a new part")
	local newPart = Instance.new("Part")
	newPart.Parent = workspace
	return newPart
end

createPartRequest.OnServerInvoke = onCreatePartRequested

RemoteFunctions: Client to Server (LocalScript)

local ReplicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage")

local createPartRequest = ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("CreatePartRequest")

local newPart = createPartRequest:InvokeServer()
print("The server created this part for me:", newPart)