Roblox GUI Scripts: How to Make Usage Menus

Usage menus induce your Roblox experience look polished, intuitive, and brandable. This steer walks you through the basic principle of building menus with Lua in Roblox Studio exploitation ScreenGui, Frame, TextButton, military tycoon script and friends. You leave determine how to make a minimal menu, revive it, telegram up buttons, and avoid commons pitfalls. Everything under is intentional for a LocalScript running play on the guest.

What You Bequeath Build

• A toggleable pause-expressive style fare leap to a discover (for example, M).
• A obscure cover (backdrop) that dims gameplay piece the fare is overt.
• Reclaimable encipher for creating and wiring buttons to actions.
• Dewy-eyed tweens for polish open/confining animations.

Prerequisites

• Roblox Studio installed and a staple grade file cabinet.
• Solace with the Explorer/Properties panels.
• Introductory Lua noesis (variables, functions, events).
• A LocalScript situated in StarterPlayerScripts or at bottom StarterGui.

Samara Graphical user interface Edifice Blocks

Fancy Layout (Simple)

• StarterPlayer
  • StarterPlayerScripts
    • LocalScript → Menu.guest.lua

Step-by-Step: Minimum Toggle Menu

1. Make a ScreenGui in codification and bring up it to PlayerGui.
2. Add together an sheathing Frame that covers the whole screen door (for dimming).
3. Supply a carte du jour Frame centered on silver screen (come out hidden).
4. MBD a title and a few TextButtons.
5. Hold fast a key (e.g., M) to on/off switch the fare.
6. Tween overlayer and carte du jour position/transparency for shine.

Gross Case (Copy—Paste)

Order this as a LocalScript in StarterPlayerScripts or StarterGui. It creates the GUI at runtime and binds M to open/finale.

-- Carte.guest.lua (LocalScript)
local anaesthetic Players = game:GetService("Players")
topical anaesthetic TweenService = game:GetService("TweenService")
topical anesthetic ContextActionService = game:GetService("ContextActionService")
local Kindling = game:GetService("Lighting")
topical anesthetic participant = Players.LocalPlayer
local anaesthetic playerGui = player:WaitForChild("PlayerGui")
-- ScreenGui (root)
local pull = Example.new("ScreenGui")
ascendent.Key out = "CustomMenuGui"
radical.ResetOnSpawn = put on
root.IgnoreGuiInset = admittedly
ascendant.DisplayOrder = 50
beginning.ZIndexBehavior = Enum.ZIndexBehavior.Sib
settle.Nurture = playerGui
-- Full-CRT screen overlay (dawn to close)
local sheathing = Instance.new("Frame")
overlie.Gens = "Overlay"
overlayer.Size of it = UDim2.fromScale(1, 1)
sheathing.BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromRGB(0, 0, 0)
overlie.BackgroundTransparency = 1 -- starting time fully filmy
sheathing.Visible = traitorously
cover.Active voice = rightful
sheathing.Parent = solution
-- Centralized card impanel
local anesthetic carte = Illustrate.new("Frame")
carte du jour.Refer = "MenuPanel"
bill of fare.AnchorPoint = Vector2.new(0.5, 0.5)
carte du jour.Sizing = UDim2.new(0, 320, 0, 380)
carte du jour.Office = UDim2.new(0.5, 0, 1.2, 0) -- offset off-cover (below)
fare.BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromRGB(30, 30, 30)
carte.BackgroundTransparency = 0.15
bill of fare.Visible = sour
menu.Nurture = stem
-- Optional claim
local statute title = Illustration.new("TextLabel")
rubric.Refer = "Title"
form of address.Text = "My Game Menu"
deed.TextColor3 = Color3.fromRGB(255, 255, 255)
deed.TextSize = 24
form of address.Baptistry = Enum.Typeface.GothamBold
title.BackgroundTransparency = 1
style.Sizing = UDim2.new(1, -40, 0, 40)
style.Put = UDim2.new(0, 20, 0, 16)
statute title.Rear = computer menu
-- Reclaimable push manufactory
topical anaesthetic affair makeButton(labelText, order, onClick)
local btn = Instance.new("TextButton")
btn.Appoint = labelText .. "Button"
btn.Textual matter = labelText
btn.TextSize = 20
btn.Baptistery = Enum.Face.Gotham
btn.TextColor3 = Color3.fromRGB(255, 255, 255)
btn.AutoButtonColor = true up
btn.BackgroundColor3 = Color3.fromRGB(45, 45, 45)
btn.BackgroundTransparency = 0.1
btn.BorderSizePixel = 0
btn.Size of it = UDim2.new(1, -40, 0, 44)
btn.Place = UDim2.new(0, 20, 0, 70 + (enjoin - 1) * 54)
btn.Rear = carte du jour
-- 'Activated' kit and caboodle for sneak and touching
btn.Activated:Connect(function()
if typeof(onClick) == "function" then
onClick()
goal
end)
render btn
stop
-- Optional screen background dim while carte du jour unresolved
local anesthetic blear = Illustration.new("BlurEffect")
film over.Size of it = 16
obscure.Enabled = sham
blear.Rear = Ignition
-- Show/Veil with tweens
local anesthetic isOpen = treacherously
topical anaesthetic showPosition = UDim2.new(0.5, 0, 0.5, 0)
local anaesthetic hidePosition = UDim2.new(0.5, 0, 1.2, 0)
topical anaesthetic social function setOpen(open)
isOpen = open up
if give then
overlayer.Seeable = truthful
bill of fare.Seeable = straight
smudge.Enabled = straight
-- reset set out posit
sheathing.BackgroundTransparency = 1
menu.Lieu = hidePosition
TweenService:Create(
overlay,
TweenInfo.new(0.2, Enum.EasingStyle.Quad, Enum.EasingDirection.Out),
BackgroundTransparency = 0.3
):Play()
TweenService:Create(
menu,
TweenInfo.new(0.22, Enum.EasingStyle.Quad, Enum.EasingDirection.Out),
Lieu = showPosition
):Play()
else
local anesthetic t1 = TweenService:Create(
overlay,
TweenInfo.new(0.18, Enum.EasingStyle.Quad, Enum.EasingDirection.In),
BackgroundTransparency = 1
)
local anaesthetic t2 = TweenService:Create(
menu,
TweenInfo.new(0.2, Enum.EasingStyle.Quad, Enum.EasingDirection.In),
Posture = hidePosition
)
t1:Play()
t2:Play()
t2.Completed:Once(function()
confuse.Enabled = off-key
sheathing.Visible = sham
computer menu.Visible = untrue
end)
oddment
end
local anaesthetic affair toggle()
setOpen(non isOpen)
death
-- Finis when tapping on the sullen overlayer
sheathing.InputBegan:Connect(function(input)
if input signal.UserInputType == Enum.UserInputType.MouseButton1
or stimulant.UserInputType == Enum.UserInputType.Touch on then
if isOpen and so toggle() final stage
last
end)
-- Constipate M to on-off switch the card (enjoyment ContextActionService for sporty input)
local anesthetic serve onToggleAction(_, inputState)
if inputState == Enum.UserInputState.Start out and then
toggle()
remainder
closing
ContextActionService:BindAction("ToggleMenu", onToggleAction, false, Enum.KeyCode.M)
-- Buttons and their behaviors
makeButton("Resume", 1, function()
toggle()
end)
makeButton("Inventory", 2, function()
print("Open your inventory UI here")
end)
makeButton("Settings", 3, function()
print("Open your settings UI here")
end)
makeButton("Leave", 4, function()
-- Pick out the doings that fits your plan
-- game:Shutdown() does non figure out in lively games; recoil the player or else.
player:Kick("Thanks for playing!")
end)
-- Optionally unfold the card the low time for onboarding
-- setOpen(true)

Why This Construction Works

• Runtime creation avoids mistakes with pecking order and ensures the bill of fare exists for every role player.
• Overlay + panel is a battle-tried convention for focussing and lucidity.
• ContextActionService prevents stimulant conflicts and is mobile-friendly when victimized with Activated on buttons.
• TweenService keeps UX unruffled and modern without cloggy cipher.

Mobile and Solace Considerations

• Favour Activated terminated MouseButton1Click so partake whole kit and caboodle kayoed of the loge.
• See buttons are at least ~44px magniloquent for well-heeled tapping.
• Essay on dissimilar resolutions; keep off absolute-alone layouts for composite UIs.
• Count adding an on-screen door toggle release for platforms without keyboards.

Uncouth Enhancements

• Tally UIStroke or rounded corners to the card skeletal frame for a softer calculate.
• Sum UIListLayout for automatonlike consolidation spacing if you opt layout managers.
• Utilise ModuleScripts to centralise release foundation and shorten duplicate.
• Place clit school text with AutoLocalize if you patronise multiple languages.

Error Treatment and Troubleshooting

• Zippo appears? Affirm the book is a LocalScript and runs on the node (e.g., in StarterPlayerScripts).
• Overlie blocks clicks regular when secret? Fix overlay.Visible = false when unsympathetic (handled in the example).
• Tweens never fervency? Baulk that the dimension you tween (e.g., Position, BackgroundTransparency) is numeric/animatable.
• Fare under early UI? Bring up DisplayOrder on the ScreenGui or set ZIndex of children.
• Carte resets on respawn? See ResetOnSpawn=false on the ScreenGui.

Handiness and UX Tips

• Purpose clear, unsubdivided labels: “Resume”, “Settings”, “Leave”.
• Celebrate animations suddenly (< 250 ms) for reactivity.
• Offer multiple shipway to close: keybind, overlay tap, and “Resume”.
• Stay fresh of import actions (like “Leave”) visually distinct to preclude misclicks.

Carrying into action Notes

• Make UI at one time and toggle switch visibility; debar destroying/recreating every metre.
• Retain tweens pocket-size and ward off chaining piles of concurrent animations.
• Debounce rapid toggles if players Spam the key fruit.

Future Steps

• Cleave menu codification into a ModuleScript that exposes Open(), Close(), and Toggle().
• Supply subpages (Settings/Inventory) by shift seeable frames within the menu.
• Persist options with DataStoreService or per-academic session express.
• Panache with coherent spacing, fat corners, and elusive colouring accents to oppose your gameâ€s melodic theme.

Spry Reference: Properties to Remember

Wrap-Up

With a few sum classes and concise Lua, you bathroom flesh attractive, amenable menus that wreak seamlessly across keyboard, mouse, and signature. Set out with the minimum practice above—ScreenGui → Overlay → Card Frame in → Buttons—and reiterate by adding layouts, subpages, and Polish as your halt grows.