How to Convert UX/UI video to a complete typescript react application with custom hooks.

TL;DR: Replay leverages video analysis and AI to generate complete, functional TypeScript React applications with custom hooks directly from UX/UI screen recordings, bridging the gap between design intent and code implementation.

From UX/UI Video to Functional React App: A Developer's Guide#

The traditional workflow of translating UX/UI designs into functional code is fraught with friction. Static mockups and prototypes often fail to capture the nuances of user interaction and intended behavior. This leads to costly rework, communication breakdowns, and ultimately, a slower development cycle. But what if you could convert a simple video recording of a UX/UI interaction directly into a working React application?

Replay makes this a reality. Unlike traditional screenshot-to-code tools that merely interpret visual elements, Replay analyzes video recordings to understand the behavior driving the UI. This "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction" allows Replay to generate more accurate, functional, and maintainable code.

The Problem: Bridging the Design-Code Gap#

The handoff between design and development is a notorious bottleneck. Designers create intricate prototypes, but developers must then translate these designs into code, often interpreting intentions and filling in missing pieces. This process is error-prone, time-consuming, and can lead to significant deviations from the original design vision.

Traditional approaches rely on static assets:

• •Mockups: Limited in interactivity and fail to capture dynamic behavior.
• •Prototypes: Can be time-consuming to create and maintain, and often lack the fidelity required for accurate code generation.
• •Screenshot-to-code tools: While convenient, they only capture visual elements and lack the understanding of underlying user behavior.

Replay: A Behavior-Driven Approach#

Replay offers a fundamentally different approach. By analyzing video recordings, Replay understands what the user is trying to achieve, not just what they see. This allows Replay to generate code that accurately reflects the intended user experience, complete with state management, event handling, and custom hooks.

Here's how Replay compares to other tools:

Building a React App from a Video: A Step-by-Step Guide#

Let's walk through the process of converting a UX/UI video into a functional React application using Replay. We'll assume you have a video recording of a simple to-do list application being used. The video should demonstrate adding tasks, marking tasks as complete, and deleting tasks.

Step 1: Uploading and Analyzing the Video

First, upload your video to Replay. Replay's AI engine will analyze the video, identifying UI elements, user interactions, and state transitions. This process can take a few minutes, depending on the length and complexity of the video.

💡 Pro Tip: Ensure your video is clear and well-lit. Clearly demonstrate all user interactions you want Replay to capture.

Step 2: Reviewing and Refining the Generated Code

Once the analysis is complete, Replay will present you with a generated React codebase. This codebase will include:

• •React Components: Representing the UI elements identified in the video (e.g., input fields, buttons, list items).
• •State Management: Using React's
  text

  useState
  hook to manage the application's state (e.g., the list of to-do items).
• •Event Handlers: Functions that respond to user interactions (e.g., adding a task, marking a task as complete).
• •Custom Hooks: Encapsulating reusable logic (e.g., fetching data from an API, managing local storage).
• •Styling: CSS or styled-components based on the visual elements in the video.

Review the generated code carefully. Replay's AI is powerful, but it's essential to ensure the code accurately reflects your intended behavior. You can make edits directly within the Replay interface or download the code and modify it in your preferred IDE.

Step 3: Understanding the Generated Code

Let's look at a simplified example of the generated code. Suppose the video shows a user adding a task to the to-do list. Replay might generate code similar to this:

typescript
// src/components/TodoList.tsx
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { useLocalStorage } from '../hooks/useLocalStorage'; // Custom hook!

interface Todo {
  id: string;
  text: string;
  completed: boolean;
}

const TodoList: React.FC = () => {
  const [todos, setTodos] = useLocalStorage<Todo[]>('todos', []); // Using our custom hook!
  const [newTodo, setNewTodo] = useState('');

  const handleInputChange = (event: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
    setNewTodo(event.target.value);
  };

  const handleAddTask = () => {
    if (newTodo.trim() !== '') {
      setTodos([...todos, { id: Date.now().toString(), text: newTodo, completed: false }]);
      setNewTodo('');
    }
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <input type="text" value={newTodo} onChange={handleInputChange} />
      <button onClick={handleAddTask}>Add Task</button>
      <ul>
        {todos.map((todo) => (
          <li key={todo.id}>
            {todo.text}
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
};

export default TodoList;

Notice the

hook. Replay intelligently recognized the need to persist the to-do list data and generated a custom hook to handle this.

Step 4: Examining the Custom Hook

Here's an example of the generated

hook:

typescript
// src/hooks/useLocalStorage.ts
import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

function useLocalStorage<T>(key: string, initialValue: T): [T, (value: T) => void] {
  const [storedValue, setStoredValue] = useState<T>(() => {
    try {
      const item = window.localStorage.getItem(key);
      return item ? JSON.parse(item) : initialValue;
    } catch (error) {
      console.error(error);
      return initialValue;
    }
  });

  useEffect(() => {
    try {
      window.localStorage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(storedValue));
    } catch (error) {
      console.error(error);
    }
  }, [key, storedValue]);

  const setValue = (value: T) => {
    setStoredValue(value);
  };

  return [storedValue, setValue];
}

export { useLocalStorage };

This hook encapsulates the logic for reading and writing data to local storage, making it reusable across your application. Replay's ability to generate such hooks is a significant advantage over simpler code generation tools.

Step 5: Integrating with Supabase (Optional)

Replay offers seamless integration with Supabase. If your video demonstrates data being fetched from or saved to a database, Replay can generate the necessary Supabase client code and API calls. This can significantly accelerate the development of data-driven applications.

📝 Note: To use Supabase integration, you'll need to provide Replay with your Supabase API keys and project URL.

Benefits of Using Replay#

• •Faster Development: Generate working code in seconds, reducing development time.
• •Improved Accuracy: Behavior-driven reconstruction ensures code accurately reflects design intent.
• •Reduced Communication Overhead: Eliminates ambiguity and misinterpretations between designers and developers.
• •Higher Quality Code: Replay generates clean, maintainable code with custom hooks and state management.
• •Seamless Integration: Integrates with popular tools like Supabase.

Addressing Potential Challenges#

While Replay is a powerful tool, it's essential to be aware of its limitations:

• •Video Quality: Poor video quality can affect the accuracy of the generated code.
• •Complex Interactions: Highly complex interactions may require manual refinement.
• •Edge Cases: Replay may not always handle edge cases perfectly.

⚠️ Warning: Always review and test the generated code thoroughly before deploying it to production.

Example: Generating a Multi-Page Application#

Replay excels at generating multi-page applications from video recordings. Imagine a video showing a user navigating through an e-commerce website, browsing products, adding items to a cart, and proceeding to checkout. Replay can analyze this video and generate a React application with multiple pages, including:

• •Product Listing Page: Displaying a list of products.
• •Product Detail Page: Showing detailed information about a specific product.
• •Shopping Cart Page: Displaying the items in the user's cart.
• •Checkout Page: Allowing the user to enter their shipping and payment information.

Replay will automatically generate the necessary routing logic and navigation components to connect these pages.

Code Example: Component with Style Injection#

Replay can intelligently inject styles based on the video. Consider this example:

typescript
// src/components/StyledButton.tsx
import React from 'react';
import styled from 'styled-components';

interface ButtonProps {
  onClick: () => void;
  children: React.ReactNode;
}

const StyledButton = styled.button`
  background-color: #4CAF50; /* Extracted from video */
  color: white; /* Extracted from video */
  padding: 10px 20px; /* Extracted from video */
  border: none; /* Extracted from video */
  border-radius: 5px; /* Extracted from video */
  cursor: pointer; /* Extracted from video */

  &:hover {
    background-color: #3e8e41; /* Extracted from video */
  }
`;

const Button: React.FC<ButtonProps> = ({ onClick, children }) => {
  return <StyledButton onClick={onClick}>{children}</StyledButton>;
};

export default Button;

Replay automatically detected the button's styles from the video and injected them into the

component.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

Replay offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans are available for more advanced features and higher usage limits.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both tools aim to generate code from visual inputs, Replay analyzes video recordings to understand user behavior, whereas v0.dev primarily relies on text prompts and component libraries. Replay's behavior-driven approach allows it to generate more accurate and functional code, including custom hooks and state management logic that directly reflects the intended user experience.

Can I use Replay with other frameworks besides React?#

Currently, Replay primarily supports React and TypeScript. Support for other frameworks may be added in the future.

What types of videos work best with Replay?#

Videos with clear and well-defined user interactions tend to produce the best results. Ensure the video is well-lit and that all UI elements are clearly visible.

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Ready to try behavior-driven code generation? Get started with Replay - transform any video into working code in seconds.