Delphi for Automotive: Capturing Visual Logic in Legacy Parts Databases

The "black box" of legacy automotive software is costing OEMs millions in operational drag. In the high-stakes world of Tier-1 suppliers and automotive manufacturing, the Delphi-based parts database is a ubiquitous, yet aging, titan. These systems, often built in Delphi 7 or early XE versions, manage millions of SKUs, complex Bill of Materials (BOM) hierarchies, and intricate cross-referencing logic that hasn't been documented since the late 90s. When these systems need to move to the cloud or a modern web stack, the traditional path is a multi-year rewrite that often ends in catastrophic failure.

According to Replay's analysis, 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their original timeline, primarily because the business logic is no longer in the documentation—it is buried in the visual behavior of the UI. This is where delphi automotive capturing visual logic becomes the only viable path forward for enterprise architects.

TL;DR: Modernizing legacy Delphi automotive databases is notoriously difficult due to "lost" business logic and tight UI-to-DB coupling. Replay bypasses the need for manual code audits by using Visual Reverse Engineering to convert recorded user workflows into production-ready React components and documented design systems. This reduces modernization timelines from 18 months to mere weeks, saving 70% in engineering costs.

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The $3.6 Trillion Technical Debt Crisis in Automotive#

The global automotive industry is currently grappling with a portion of the $3.6 trillion global technical debt. For a sector moving toward Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV) and integrated supply chains, the presence of Delphi-based desktop applications is a significant bottleneck. These systems are often "frozen in time" because the original developers have retired, and the source code—if it exists—is a spaghetti-mess of VCL (Visual Component Library) events and direct SQL injections.

When we talk about delphi automotive capturing visual logic, we are addressing the reality that the UI is the documentation. In many 20-year-old parts databases, the way a specific component grid filters based on a VIN prefix is a behavior that exists only in the compiled binary and the muscle memory of the parts manager.

Why Manual Rewrites Fail#

Industry experts recommend moving away from "Big Bang" rewrites. The traditional process involves:

1. •Hiring consultants to interview users.
2. •Attempting to read 500,000 lines of Delphi/Object Pascal.
3. •Manually recreating every state and edge case in React or Angular.

This manual process takes an average of 40 hours per screen. For an enterprise automotive database with 200+ screens, you are looking at a 2-year project before the first module goes live.

Video-to-code is the process of using computer vision and AI to observe a user interacting with a legacy application and automatically generating the underlying frontend architecture, state management, and styling.

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Delphi Automotive Capturing Visual Logic: The Replay Approach#

The core challenge of delphi automotive capturing visual logic is that Delphi's VCL components don't have a 1:1 mapping to HTML5 elements. A TStringGrid in Delphi might contain embedded checkboxes, picklists, and conditional formatting that would take a senior frontend engineer days to replicate in a modern headless UI library.

Replay changes this by treating the legacy UI as the "source of truth." Instead of trying to parse the Object Pascal source code, Replay records a user performing a standard workflow—such as "Search for brake assembly by VIN and check regional warehouse availability."

How Replay Decodes the VCL#

1. •Visual Capture: The platform records the pixel-perfect interactions, identifying patterns in how the Delphi application renders data.
2. •Component Extraction: Replay’s AI identifies that a specific area of the screen is a "Parts Search Grid" and another is a "Stock Level Status Indicator."
3. •Logic Mapping: It captures the "if-this-then-that" visual cues. For example, if a part is out of stock, the row turns red. Replay captures this as a conditional prop in React.
4. •Code Generation: The output is a clean, documented React component library using Tailwind CSS or your internal Design System.

Modernizing Delphi Applications requires more than just a UI lift; it requires a deep understanding of how data flows through these legacy systems.

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Implementation: From Delphi Grid to React Component#

Let's look at what the output looks like. In a typical automotive parts database, you might have a complex "Part Details" view. In Delphi, this is a mess of

, , and components.

When using Replay for delphi automotive capturing visual logic, the platform generates a structured TypeScript component that maintains the functional integrity of the original system while using modern best practices.

Example: Generated React Component for Parts Inventory#

typescript
// Generated by Replay - Visual Reverse Engineering Platform
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { Badge, Table, StatusIndicator } from '@/components/ui';

interface PartInventoryProps {
  partNumber: string;
  initialData: any[];
}

/**
 * @description Replicated from legacy Delphi 'frmInventoryLookup'
 * Captures visual logic: Row highlighting for low stock (< 10 units)
 * and regional availability grouping.
 */
export const PartInventoryGrid: React.FC<PartInventoryProps> = ({ partNumber, initialData }) => {
  const [data, setData] = useState(initialData);

  // Replay captured the Delphi 'OnDrawCell' logic for conditional formatting
  const getStockStatus = (quantity: number) => {
    if (quantity === 0) return { color: 'text-red-600', label: 'Out of Stock' };
    if (quantity < 10) return { color: 'text-amber-500', label: 'Low Stock' };
    return { color: 'text-green-600', label: 'In Stock' };
  };

  return (
    <div className="p-4 bg-slate-50 rounded-lg border border-slate-200">
      <h2 className="text-xl font-bold mb-4">Inventory for: {partNumber}</h2>
      <Table>
        <thead>
          <tr className="bg-slate-100">
            <th>Warehouse</th>
            <th>Location ID</th>
            <th>Current Stock</th>
            <th>Status</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          {data.map((item) => {
            const status = getStockStatus(item.qty);
            return (
              <tr key={item.id} className="hover:bg-blue-50 transition-colors">
                <td className="font-medium">{item.warehouseName}</td>
                <td>{item.locId}</td>
                <td className={status.color}>{item.qty} units</td>
                <td>
                  <Badge variant={item.qty === 0 ? "destructive" : "outline"}>
                    {status.label}
                  </Badge>
                </td>
              </tr>
            );
          })}
        </tbody>
      </Table>
    </div>
  );
};

This code isn't just a "guess." It is the result of Replay observing the visual states of the Delphi application and translating them into a functional React component. This allows your team to focus on the API integration rather than spending weeks on CSS and state management.

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Architectural Considerations for Automotive Modernization#

When performing a delphi automotive capturing visual migration, the frontend is only half the battle. You must also consider the "Flows"—the sequence of screens that make up a business process.

In the automotive sector, workflows are often highly regulated. A technician must follow a specific sequence of "Safety Check" -> "Part Identification" -> "Installation Logging." Replay's "Flows" feature allows architects to map these multi-screen journeys visually.

The Replay Automation Suite#

Replay provides a comprehensive suite for enterprise-grade modernization:

• •Library (Design System): Automatically extracts brand assets, colors, and typography from the legacy Delphi app to build a unified React Design System.
• •Flows (Architecture): Maps the user journey across multiple screens to ensure no business logic is lost during the transition.
• •Blueprints (Editor): A low-code/no-code environment where developers can refine the captured components before exporting to VS Code.

According to Replay's analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack documentation. By using Replay, the documentation is generated as a byproduct of the capture process. Every component comes with a "Blueprint" that describes its behavior, props, and legacy origin.

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Security and Compliance in Regulated Environments#

The automotive industry, much like healthcare and finance, is subject to rigorous security standards. Moving legacy data to the cloud requires a platform that respects these boundaries. Replay is built for these environments, offering:

• •SOC2 Type II Compliance: Ensuring your data and visual captures are handled with enterprise-grade security.
• •On-Premise Deployment: For OEMs with strict data sovereignty requirements, Replay can be deployed within your own private cloud or air-gapped environment.
• •HIPAA-Ready: While more relevant for healthcare, the same level of data privacy is applied to automotive intellectual property.

Technical Debt in Regulated Industries is a silent killer of innovation. By using delphi automotive capturing visual tools, companies can finally shed their legacy skins without compromising on security.

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Capturing Complex Data Hierarchies#

Automotive parts databases are famous for their "N-level" hierarchies. A single engine assembly can have thousands of sub-components, each with its own lifecycle, supplier data, and compatibility rules. Delphi's

and were the workhorses of these systems.

Replay’s AI is specifically trained to recognize these hierarchical structures. When it sees a nested tree in a Delphi window, it understands the parent-child relationships and generates a modern, performant React Tree component.

Example: Captured BOM (Bill of Materials) Structure#

typescript
// Generated React Tree Component for Automotive BOM
import { ChevronRight, Box, Tool } from 'lucide-react';

interface BOMNode {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  type: 'assembly' | 'part';
  children?: BOMNode[];
}

export const BOMExplorer: React.FC<{ data: BOMNode[] }> = ({ data }) => {
  const renderNode = (node: BOMNode) => (
    <div key={node.id} className="ml-4 border-l border-slate-300 pl-4 py-2">
      <div className="flex items-center gap-2 cursor-pointer hover:text-blue-600">
        {node.type === 'assembly' ? <Box size={16} /> : <Tool size={16} />}
        <span className="text-sm font-medium">{node.name}</span>
        {node.children && <ChevronRight size={14} />}
      </div>
      {node.children?.map(child => renderNode(child))}
    </div>
  );

  return (
    <div className="bg-white p-6 rounded-xl shadow-sm border border-slate-100">
      <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold mb-6">Visual BOM Hierarchy</h3>
      {data.map(node => renderNode(node))}
    </div>
  );
};

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The Path to 70% Time Savings#

If you are an Enterprise Architect at an automotive firm, you are likely facing a deadline to move off Windows-only infrastructure. The cloud beckons, but the Delphi monolith stands in the way.

By focusing on delphi automotive capturing visual logic, you move from a "code-first" approach (which is slow and error-prone) to a "behavior-first" approach. You aren't just moving code; you are preserving the collective intelligence of your workforce.

1. •Record: Capture the workflows of your most experienced parts managers.
2. •Review: Use Replay's Blueprints to verify that the AI has captured the visual logic correctly.
3. •Refine: Export the React components and integrate them with your modern backend (Node.js, Go, or Python).
4. •Release: Deploy your modernized parts database in weeks, not years.

Industry experts recommend this "Visual Reverse Engineering" because it eliminates the "Lost in Translation" phase between business analysts and developers. The developer receives a working React component that already looks and behaves exactly like the legacy system, but with clean, modern code under the hood.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

Does Replay require access to my Delphi source code?#

No. Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering to capture the UI behavior from screen recordings. While having the source code can be helpful for backend logic, the frontend modernization is done purely through delphi automotive capturing visual analysis. This is ideal for systems where the source code is lost or undocumented.

How does Replay handle complex data grids with thousands of rows?#

Replay is designed to recognize enterprise-grade components. It identifies data patterns and generates optimized React components (using virtualization if necessary) to handle large datasets, ensuring the performance of your new web application exceeds the original Delphi desktop app.

Can Replay integrate with my existing Design System?#

Yes. During the capture process, you can map the legacy visual elements to your own internal Design System components. Replay’s AI will then generate code that uses your specific UI library (e.g., MUI, Ant Design, or a custom Tailwind-based system) instead of generic HTML.

Is the generated code maintainable?#

Absolutely. Replay generates clean, human-readable TypeScript and React code. It follows modern best practices, including component modularity, prop typing, and separation of concerns. This is not "machine code"—it is code your developers will enjoy working with.

What industries besides automotive benefit from this?#

While delphi automotive capturing visual logic is a huge use case, Replay is built for any industry with heavy legacy footprints, including Financial Services, Healthcare (HIPAA-ready), Insurance, and Government. Any organization with complex, data-heavy legacy UIs can achieve similar 70% time savings.

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Conclusion: Stop Rewriting, Start Replaying#

The era of the 24-month legacy rewrite is over. The risks are too high, and the costs are too great. In the automotive sector, where agility is becoming a competitive advantage, you cannot afford to be held back by Delphi applications from the last decade.

By leveraging Replay and the power of Visual Reverse Engineering, you can capture the visual logic of your parts databases and transform them into modern React applications in record time.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay and see how we can transform your legacy Delphi systems into a modern component library in days.