User:Codename Noreste/Change filter

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The change filter (or abuse filter) is a tool that allows administrators to set controls on some types of bad changes.

Settings

When a change triggers a filter, there are four settings that a filter may use.

Disallow: in this case, the change is not saved at all, and the user will see a custom message (this one by default). A link is added to report mistakes from change filters.
Warn: in this case, the user will see a message (this one by default) that the change may be harmful. They may save the change or not publish the change at all.
Tag: in this case, a tag is added to the change for review by users.
Log-only: in this case, the change is only added to the abuse log. This is the recommended setting when making new filters.

Hidden filters

While most filters are public (visible to all users), some are hidden (only visible to administrators). This is because hidden filters are often used to track long-term abusers (hidden to prevent an abusive user from bypassing, or avoiding on triggering the filter), and also because their logs can often contain personal information (e.g. email addresses, phone numbers, etc.).