Luau Course

Appearance

Studio and Environment ​

Written: 2026-10-14

Learning objectives ​

  • Install Roblox Studio and open a new place.
  • Name what Explorer, Properties, and Output do.
  • Explain what the Script Editor helps you do.
  • Explain client and server with a simple analogy.
  • Tell when to use the Command Bar and when to use a Script.

Prerequisites ​

Installing Roblox Studio ​

Roblox Studio is the free app where you build and test games.

Follow the Roblox Studio setup guide to install Studio on Windows or Mac. Sign in with your Roblox account. Open a new baseplate place to practice.

Studio is the whole workbench. A place is one game file you open inside Studio. You will spend all of Level 0 in one practice place.

Finding your way around ​

The Studio interface groups tools into tabs and windows. You open windows from the Window menu, or from the Home tab (Explorer, Properties) and Script tab (Output) buttons. Move slowly. Learn four windows first.

The Explorer window shows a hierarchical list of every instance inside a game. An instance means one thing in your game, like a part or a script. A hierarchy means a parent list with children nested below it. Click an item there to select it.

The Properties window lets you adjust properties of a selected object to change how it looks and behaves. A property means one setting, like color or size. Select a part in Explorer. Watch Properties show its settings. Change one setting at a time.

The Output window displays messages from calls to print and errors captured from running scripts. You read results there and do not type code there. Keep Output open while you test.

Tabs group buttons by task. The Home tab holds build tools. Window buttons live under the Window menu, with shortcuts on the Home and Script tabs. The Script tab holds script tools. If a window is missing, open the Window menu and turn that window back on.

The Luau Script Editor ​

The Script Editor is the text area where you type Luau code. Luau is the scripting language creators use in Roblox Studio.

Autocomplete means Studio suggests words as you type. Press Tab or Enter to accept a suggestion. This saves typing and prevents typos.

Diagnostics means Studio marks problems while you type. A red squiggle means an error. A yellow squiggle means a warning. Hover over the mark to read the reason. You fix the text, and the mark goes away. The Script Editor supports Luau with autocompletion, syntax highlighting, static linting, type checking, and script analysis.

Double-click a script in Explorer to open it in the Script Editor. Type slowly. Read the popups.

Client versus server ​

Roblox games use two computers. Your device is the client. The client shows pictures and takes your input. The Roblox computer is the server. The server holds the true game state.

The client-server runtime overview explains this client-server model in Roblox. The server is the ultimate authority for keeping all connected clients in sync.

Use this picture. Two players draw on two papers. A teacher holds the master drawing. Each player copies the master. Each player asks the teacher to change the master. The teacher updates everyone. Your client is one paper. The server is the teacher.

For now remember one rule. The server decides what counts. The client asks and shows. You will put your first code on the server in Your First Script. That code runs in ServerScriptService, a container service for server-only Script objects.

Command Bar versus Scripts ​

The Command Bar runs one quick command now. A Script saves code and runs it each time the game runs.

Use the Command Bar to test one idea fast. You type a line. You press Run. You read Output. The code does not save with the game.

Use a Script to keep code. You save the Script in Explorer. Roblox runs it when you press Play. You will learn Scripts in depth in scripts and execution, but you only need this contrast now.

If you want to try, you test. If you want to keep, you save a Script.

Tools you will hear about later ​

You do not set these up now. Learn what each one is for.

  • Rojo connects Studio to files on your computer so you can edit code outside Studio.
  • --!strict turns on full type checking for one script so Studio warns you about type mistakes. You meet it in every sample from here on; the full system waits in Strict Typing.
  • StyLua formats your code automatically so spacing looks the same everywhere.
  • Selene checks your code for common mistakes without running the game.
  • Git saves versions of your files so you can undo changes and work with others.

Common mistakes ​

  • Wrong: You close Explorer or Properties and think you broke Studio. Why: Windows hide easily. Fix: Open the Window menu and turn the missing window back on.
  • Wrong: You type code in the Output window. Why: Output only shows results. Fix: Type in the Script Editor or the Command Bar, then read Output.
  • Wrong: You expect client changes to save for everyone. Why: The client only shows a copy. Fix: Put shared rules on the server and test with Play.

Exercises ​

  1. Open Studio. Show Explorer, Properties, and Output at the same time. Name what each one shows.
  2. Select a part in Explorer. Find its color in Properties. Change it once.
  3. Explain to a friend when you would use the Command Bar and when you would use a Script.
Solution 1

Explorer shows the list of things in your game. Properties shows settings for the selected thing. Output shows messages and errors from running code.

Solution 2

Click the part in Explorer or in the 3D view. Look in Properties for Appearance, then Color. Pick a new color. Watch the part change in the 3D view.

Solution 3

Use the Command Bar for a quick one-time test. Use a Script when you want Roblox to save the code and run it every time you press Play.

Summary ​

Studio holds your place. Explorer lists things. Properties changes settings. Output shows messages. The Script Editor helps you type. The client shows, the server decides.

Next, write code in Your First Script.