Report misbehaving users

Requires App Context

Enable App Context in the Admin Portal to work with user metadata.

Administrators are chat users with SDK instances initialized with a Secret Key. Admin moderation capabilities:

• Mute users on channels
• Ban users from accessing channels

Use Access Manager to enforce restrictions.

You can use PubNub's functionality via Blueprints or directly in C++ code.

• In Blueprints, you can access PubNub from any Widget or Actor. Start by initializing chat using InitChat on UPubnubChatSubsystem. Afterwards, you can use the returned UPubnubChat object reference to call all Chat SDK functions.

Blueprint functions

The Blueprints provided in the documentation show how you can structure your application and may contain utility methods and elements like buttons that are not part of the Unreal Chat SDK and are meant to serve as guidance.

• In C++, you can use UPubnubChatSubsystem as any other Game Instance Subsystem.

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  Chat now allows you to call all Chat SDK functions, for example, Chat->GetChannel("my_channel").

Usage in Blueprints and C++

Asynchronous and synchronous method execution

Most PubNub Unreal SDK methods are available in both asynchronous and synchronous variants.

• Asynchronous methods (Async suffix) return void and take an optional delegate parameter that fires when the operation completes.

  1Channel->SetRestrictionsAsync(UserID, Ban, Mute, OnOperationResponseDelegate, Reason);

  You can also use native callbacks that accept lambdas instead of dynamic delegates. Native callback types have the Native suffix (for example, FOnPubnubChatOperationResponseNative).

• Synchronous methods (no suffix) block the main game thread until the operation completes and return a result struct directly.

  1FPubnubChatOperationResult Result = Channel->SetRestrictions(UserID, Ban, Mute, Reason);

Mute or ban users

Mute or ban users with SetRestrictions() on the Chat, User, or Channel object. All three produce the same output with different input parameters.

How it works:

• Muting/banning creates a moderation event (muted or banned)
• A moderation membership is created with PUBNUB_INTERNAL_MODERATION_ prefix (secured via Access Manager, filtered from GetMemberships() results)
• Lifting restrictions removes the moderation membership and creates a lifted event

Listen to moderation events to trigger actions like removing memberships. Check restrictions to verify user status.

Secret Key required

Initialize with Secret Key (from Admin Portal) for admin operations. Never expose Secret Key to clients. If compromised, generate a new one in the Admin Portal.

Method signature

C++ / Input parameters

• User->SetRestrictions()

  1User->SetRestrictions(
  2    const FString ChannelID,
  3    bool Ban,
  4    bool Mute,
  5    FString Reason = ""
  6);

• Channel->SetRestrictions()

  1Channel->SetRestrictions(
  2    const FString UserID, 
  3    bool Ban, 
  4    bool Mute, 
  5    FString Reason = ""
  6);

• Chat->SetRestrictions()

  1Chat->SetRestrictions(FPubnubChatRestriction Restriction);

Parameter	Required for Chat	Required for User	Required for Channel	Description
Restriction Type: FPubnubChatRestriction Default: n/a	Yes	No	No	Struct containing UserID, ChannelID, Ban, Mute, and Reason fields. Used by Chat only.
ChannelID Type: FString Default: n/a	No	Yes	No	ID of the channel on/from which the user should be muted or banned. Used by User and Channel.
UserID Type: FString Default: n/a	No	No	Yes	Unique User ID of the user to mute or ban. Used by Channel only.
Ban Type: bool Default: n/a	No	Yes	Yes	Set to true to ban the user from the channel or to false to unban them.
Mute Type: bool Default: n/a	No	Yes	Yes	Set to true to mute the user on the channel or to false to unmute them.
Reason Type: FString Default: ""	No	No	No	Reason why you want to ban or mute the user.

Blueprint

Output

Method	Return type
User->SetRestrictions()	FPubnubChatOperationResult
Chat->SetRestrictions()	FPubnubChatOperationResult
Channel->SetRestrictions()	FPubnubChatOperationResult

Sample code

Mute

Mute support_agent_15 on the support channel.

• SetRestrictions() (on the Chat object)

  C++

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• SetRestrictions() (on the User object)

  C++

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  Blueprint

• SetRestrictions() (on the Channel object)

  C++

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  Blueprint

Ban

Ban support_agent_15 from the support channel.

• SetRestrictions() (on the Chat object)

  C++

  1
  

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• SetRestrictions() (on the User object — ban example)

  1User->SetRestrictionsAsync("support", true, false, nullptr, "Banned for sending pictures of pineapple pizza.");

• SetRestrictions() (on the Channel object)

  C++

  1
  

  Blueprint

Lift restrictions

Check restrictions

One user on one channel

Check mute or ban restrictions for a user on a specific channel with GetChannelRestrictions() or GetUserRestrictions().

Method signature

C++ / Input parameters

• User->GetChannelRestrictions()

  1User->GetChannelRestrictions(UPubnubChatChannel* Channel)

• Channel->GetUserRestrictions()

  1Channel->GetUserRestrictions(UPubnubChatUser* User);

Parameter	Required in User->GetChannelRestrictions()	Required in Channel->GetUserRestrictions()	Description
Channel Type: UPubnubChatChannel* Default: n/a	Yes	No	Channel object on/from which the user can be muted or banned.
User Type: UPubnubChatUser* Default: n/a	No	Yes	User object that can be muted or banned.

Blueprint

Output

Parameter	Description
User->GetChannelRestrictions() Type: FPubnubChatGetRestrictionResult	Returned object containing Result and Restriction.
Channel->GetUserRestrictions() Type: FPubnubChatGetRestrictionResult	Returned object containing Result and Restriction.
→ Result Type: FPubnubChatOperationResult	Operation status.
→ Restriction Type: FPubnubChatRestriction	Restriction details.
→ UserID Type: FString	ID of the restricted user.
→ ChannelID Type: FString	ID of the channel.
→ Ban Type: bool	Info whether the user is banned from the channel.
→ Mute Type: bool	Info whether the user is muted on the channel.
→ Reason Type: FString	Reason why the user was banned or muted.

Sample code

Check if the user support_agent_15 has any restrictions set on the support channel.

• GetChannelRestrictions()

  C++

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  Blueprint

• GetUserRestrictions()

  C++

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  Blueprint

One user on all channels

Check mute or ban restrictions for a user across all their channels with GetChannelsRestrictions().

Method signature

1User->GetChannelsRestrictions(
2    int Limit = 0,
3    FPubnubMembershipSort Sort = FPubnubMembershipSort(),
4    FPubnubPage Page = FPubnubPage()
5);

* required

Parameter	Description
Limit Type: int Default: 100	Number of objects to return in response. The default (and maximum) value is 100.
Page Type: FPubnubPage Default: n/a	Object used for pagination to define which previous or next result page you want to fetch.
→ Next Type: FString Default: n/a	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for forward pagination, it fetches the next page, allowing you to continue from where you left off.
→ Prev Type: FString Default: n/a	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for backward pagination, it fetches the previous page, enabling access to earlier data. Ignored if the next parameter is supplied.
Sort Type: FPubnubMembershipSort Default: n/a	Struct used to specify a property to sort by and sort direction. Available options are id, name, and updated. Use asc or desc to specify the sorting direction. By default, the items are sorted by the last updated date.

Output

Parameter	Description
FPubnubChatGetRestrictionsResult Type: struct	Returned object containing these fields: Result, Restrictions, Page, and Total.
→ Result Type: FPubnubChatOperationResult	Operation status.
→ Restrictions Type: TArray<FPubnubChatRestriction>	Array containing restrictions.
→ UserID Type: FString	ID of the restricted user.
→ ChannelID Type: FString	ID of the channel containing user restrictions.
→ Ban Type: bool	Info whether the user is banned from the given channel.
→ Mute Type: bool	Info whether the user is muted on the given channel.
→ Reason Type: FString	Reason why the user was banned or muted.
→ Page Type: FPubnubPage	Object used for pagination to define which previous or next result page you want to fetch.
→ Next Type: FString	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for forward pagination, it fetches the next page, allowing you to continue from where you left off.
→ Prev Type: FString	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for backward pagination, it fetches the previous page, enabling access to earlier data. Ignored if the Next parameter is supplied.
→ Total Type: int	Total number of restrictions.

Sample code

List all mute and ban restrictions set for a user.

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All users on one channel

Check mute or ban restrictions for all members of a channel with GetUsersRestrictions().

Method signature

1Channel->GetUsersRestrictions(
2    int Limit = 0,
3    FPubnubMembershipSort Sort = FPubnubMembershipSort(),
4    FPubnubPage Page = FPubnubPage()
5);

* required

Parameter	Description
Limit Type: int Default: 0 (server default)	Number of objects to return in response.
Page Type: FPubnubPage Default: n/a	Object used for pagination to define which previous or next result page you want to fetch.
→ Next Type: FString Default: n/a	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for forward pagination, it fetches the next page, allowing you to continue from where you left off.
→ Prev Type: FString Default: n/a	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for backward pagination, it fetches the previous page, enabling access to earlier data. Ignored if the next parameter is supplied.
Sort Type: FPubnubMembershipSort Default: n/a	Struct used to specify a property to sort by and sort direction. Available options are id, name, and updated. Use asc or desc to specify the sorting direction. By default, the items are sorted by the last updated date.

Output

Parameter	Description
FPubnubChatGetRestrictionsResult Type: struct	Returned object containing these fields: Result, Restrictions, Page, and Total.
→ Result Type: FPubnubChatOperationResult	Operation status.
→ Restrictions Type: TArray<FPubnubChatRestriction>	Array containing restrictions.
→ UserID Type: FString	ID of the restricted user.
→ ChannelID Type: FString	ID of the channel.
→ Ban Type: bool	Info whether the user is banned from the given channel.
→ Mute Type: bool	Info whether the user is muted on the given channel.
→ Reason Type: FString	Reason why the user was banned or muted.
→ Page Type: FPubnubPage	Object used for pagination to define which previous or next result page you want to fetch.
→ Next Type: FString	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for forward pagination, it fetches the next page, allowing you to continue from where you left off.
→ Prev Type: FString	Random string returned from the server, indicating a specific position in a data set. Used for backward pagination, it fetches the previous page, enabling access to earlier data. Ignored if the Next parameter is supplied.
→ Total Type: int	Total number of restrictions.

Sample code

List all mute and ban restrictions set for the support channel.

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Secure moderation

Client-side UI restrictions (hiding channels, disabling input) can be bypassed. Secure with server-side logic using Access Manager, plus optional client-side feedback.

Server-side restrictions

Use Access Manager with Chat SDK methods to grant/revoke permissions based on muting/banning restrictions.

Recommended workflow:

1. Admin sets restrictions via dashboard (e.g., Channel Monitor)
2. Get moderation restrictions for users
3. Call Access Manager API to generate/revoke tokens

Implementation steps:

1. Enable Access Manager in the Admin Portal.

2. Initialize Chat SDK with Auth Key on the frontend to authenticate users and grant access to PubNub resources.

3. Initialize backend with Secret Key using the Unreal SDK to secure your PubNub instance.

   tip

   Secret Key signs and verifies messages for Access Manager. Never expose to clients.

4. Get user permissions - Retrieve restrictions with Get user details and Check restrictions, then convert to permission format (read/write/access per channel).

5. Generate authorization token - Assign an access token with channel permissions and validity period.

   tip

   See Permissions for the complete operation-to-permission mapping.

   Short TTLs recommended

   Use short-lived tokens (TTLs) for up-to-date restrictions.

6. Listen for moderation events - Listen for the moderation event type (banned, muted, or lifted).

7. Act on moderation events - Update permissions and generate new tokens as needed.

Client-side restrictions

With server-side permissions enforced, add optional client-side UI feedback. Read moderation restrictions to display popup messages or icons informing users about their mute/ban status before they attempt restricted actions.

Listen to moderation events

Subscribe to real-time moderation changes for a user with StreamRestrictions(). Bind the user's OnRestrictionChanged delegate before calling this method.

Delegate	Type	Payload
OnRestrictionChanged	FOnPubnubChatUserRestrictionChanged	FPubnubChatRestriction containing Ban (bool), Mute (bool), Reason (FString), and ChannelID (FString).

Method signature

1User->StreamRestrictions();

Output

Type	Description
FPubnubChatOperationResult	Contains Error and ErrorMessage. Check Error to determine if the subscription started successfully.

Sample code

Actor.h

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Actor.cpp

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Stopping updates

To stop receiving moderation events, call StopStreamingRestrictions() on the user.

1User->StopStreamingRestrictions();

Output

Type	Description
FPubnubChatOperationResult	Contains Error and ErrorMessage.