Infor M3 Legacy UI: How to Capture Proven Workflows for Modern React

Legacy ERP systems like Infor M3 are not just software; they are the ossified history of a company's operational logic. For decades, global manufacturing, distribution, and fashion giants have relied on Infor M3 to manage complex supply chains. However, the user interface—whether it’s the aging Smart Office or the slightly more modern H5 client—often acts as a bottleneck for digital transformation. The logic is proven, but the delivery is dated.

The challenge isn't just about changing colors or fonts; it’s about the fact that 67% of legacy systems lack documentation. When you attempt to modernize, you aren't just fighting code; you are fighting the "tribal knowledge" of users who know exactly which sequence of F-keys and hidden menus leads to a successful purchase order. To move forward, organizations need an infor legacy capture proven strategy that bridges the gap between old-world stability and modern-world agility.

TL;DR: Modernizing Infor M3 traditionally takes 18-24 months and carries a 70% failure rate. By using Replay for Visual Reverse Engineering, enterprises can capture proven workflows via video and automatically generate documented React components and Design Systems. This reduces the modernization timeline from years to weeks, achieving a 70% average time saving while maintaining the integrity of complex ERP business logic.

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The Infor M3 Modernization Paradox#

Infor M3 is a powerhouse of functional depth. Yet, according to Replay's analysis, the average enterprise spends over 40 hours per screen when attempting to manually document and rewrite these interfaces into modern frameworks. With thousands of screens in a typical M3 environment, the math simply doesn't work. This creates a $3.6 trillion global technical debt problem where companies are stuck with "proven" workflows they cannot easily migrate.

Industry experts recommend focusing on the "User Experience Layer" rather than attempting a full-scale ERP replacement, which often costs tens of millions and ends in litigation. The goal is an infor legacy capture proven methodology: extract the UI logic that works, document the hidden business rules, and redeploy them as high-performance React components.

Video-to-code is the process of recording a user performing a specific business process in a legacy application and using AI-driven visual analysis to generate the corresponding frontend code, state management logic, and documentation.

Why Manual Documentation Fails Infor M3 Projects#

When a business analyst sits down to document an Infor M3 workflow, they often miss the "micro-interactions"—the specific validation that happens when a warehouse manager tabs out of a field, or the conditional visibility of a sub-grid based on a specific item type.

Manual rewrites typically result in:

1. •Logic Gaps: Missing edge cases that were handled by the legacy UI.
2. •Timeline Bloat: The average enterprise rewrite takes 18 months, by which time the business requirements have shifted.
3. •High Costs: At 40 hours per screen, a 100-screen module costs roughly $400,000 just in developer time, excluding QA and design.

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Utilizing an Infor Legacy Capture Proven Strategy with Replay#

Replay changes the economics of this transition. Instead of starting with a blank IDE, you start with a recording of the system in action. By recording an infor legacy capture proven workflow, the Replay platform analyzes the visual changes, DOM structures (if web-based), and user interactions to build a "Blueprint" of the application.

The Replay Workflow for Infor M3:#

1. •Record: A subject matter expert (SME) records a standard process, such as "Customer Order Entry" (OIS100).
2. •Analyze: Replay’s AI Automation Suite identifies patterns, data structures, and component boundaries.
3. •Generate: The platform outputs documented React components and a unified Design System.
4. •Refine: Developers use the Replay Blueprints editor to fine-tune the logic before exporting to their production codebase.

Comparison: Manual Rewrite vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

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Transforming Infor UI into Modern React Components#

To understand how an infor legacy capture proven approach works in practice, we must look at the code. Infor M3 screens are often dense grids with complex state dependencies. When Replay captures these, it doesn't just create a "screenshot"; it identifies the underlying component architecture.

For instance, an OIS100 "Order Lines" grid needs to handle asynchronous validation, multi-column sorting, and complex cell editing. Here is how a captured component might look when exported from the Replay Library:

Example 1: Captured Data Grid Component#

typescript
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { M3DataGrid, Button, Notification } from '@your-org/design-system';

// This component was generated via Replay's Visual Reverse Engineering
// Source: Infor M3 OIS101/B - Customer Order Lines
interface OrderLineProps {
  orderNumber: string;
  onLineUpdate: (lineId: string, data: any) => void;
}

export const OrderLinesGrid: React.FC<OrderLineProps> = ({ orderNumber, onLineUpdate }) => {
  const [lines, setLines] = useState([]);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);

  // Logic captured from infor legacy capture proven workflow analysis
  const handleCellChange = async (lineId: string, field: string, value: any) => {
    try {
      const response = await api.validateM3Line(lineId, field, value);
      if (response.isValid) {
        onLineUpdate(lineId, { [field]: value });
      }
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("M3 Validation Error", error);
    }
  };

  return (
    <M3DataGrid
      data={lines}
      columns={[
        { key: 'lineNo', header: 'Line', width: 80 },
        { key: 'itemNo', header: 'Item Number', editable: true },
        { key: 'quantity', header: 'Qty', editable: true, type: 'number' },
        { key: 'uom', header: 'UoM', width: 100 }
      ]}
      onCellChange={handleCellChange}
      isLoading={loading}
    />
  );
};

Capturing Complex State and Flow#

Infor M3 is famous for its "Panel" system (Panel A, B, E, F, etc.). Navigating these panels constitutes a "Flow." One of the core features of Replay is the ability to map these Flows, ensuring that the sequence of operations—the very definition of an infor legacy capture proven process—is preserved in the modern React application.

Example 2: Managing Panel Transitions in React#

typescript
import { createMachine } from 'xstate';
import { useMachine } from '@xstate/react';

// Replay captures the transition logic between Infor M3 Panels
// This state machine represents the "Item Master" creation flow
const m3ItemFlow = createMachine({
  id: 'm3ItemCreation',
  initial: 'panelA',
  states: {
    panelA: {
      on: { NEXT: 'panelE', VALIDATE: 'panelB' }
    },
    panelB: {
      on: { BACK: 'panelA', SUBMIT: 'panelE' }
    },
    panelE: {
      on: { COMPLETE: 'success', ERROR: 'panelA' }
    },
    success: { type: 'final' }
  }
});

export const ItemCreationWorkflow = () => {
  const [state, send] = useMachine(m3ItemFlow);

  return (
    <div className="workflow-container">
      {state.matches('panelA') && <BasicInfoPanel onNext={() => send('NEXT')} />}
      {state.matches('panelB') && <DetailPanel onBack={() => send('BACK')} />}
      {state.matches('panelE') && <ReviewPanel onComplete={() => send('COMPLETE')} />}
    </div>
  );
};

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Why "Visual Reverse Engineering" is the Future of ERP Modernization#

For a Senior Enterprise Architect, the primary concern is risk. A "rip and replace" strategy for an ERP like Infor M3 is often a career-ending move if it fails. However, staying on legacy UIs leads to "Shadow IT," where employees build their own Excel macros or standalone apps because the main ERP is too difficult to use.

By adopting an infor legacy capture proven approach through Replay, you are essentially "vacuum sealing" the business logic. You extract the value without the technical debt.

The Role of the AI Automation Suite#

Replay’s AI doesn't just look at pixels; it understands intent. According to Replay's analysis, their AI can differentiate between a purely decorative element and a functional data trigger with 94% accuracy. This is critical for Infor M3, where many UI elements are actually triggers for complex RPG or Java-based background programs in the M3 Business Engine.

For more on how AI is transforming this space, read our article on The ROI of Automated Code Extraction.

Building a Sustainable Design System#

One of the most significant advantages of using Replay is the automatic generation of a Design System. When you record multiple infor legacy capture proven workflows, Replay identifies recurring UI patterns—buttons, input fields, modals, and headers.

Instead of having 50 different versions of a "Submit" button, Replay consolidates these into a single, documented React component library. This ensures that as you build out new features, you are using a consistent, brand-aligned interface that still respects the underlying M3 data structures.

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Security and Compliance in Regulated Industries#

Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Financial Services—the core users of Infor M3—cannot afford to experiment with unvetted tools. Security is paramount when dealing with ERP data.

Replay is built for these high-stakes environments:

• •SOC2 & HIPAA Ready: Ensuring that the process of capturing workflows doesn't compromise sensitive data.
• •On-Premise Availability: For organizations in the Government or Defense sectors, Replay can be deployed entirely within your own firewall.
• •No Data Persistence: Replay analyzes the visual layer to generate code but does not need to store your sensitive transactional data.

By utilizing an infor legacy capture proven method that is SOC2 compliant, enterprises can satisfy both the CTO’s need for modernization and the CISO’s need for security.

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Overcoming the "Documentation Gap"#

The "Documentation Gap" is the space between what the software does and what the manual says it does. In Infor M3, this gap is often cavernous. Decades of "Z-programs" and local modifications mean the original implementation docs are useless.

Industry experts recommend "Visual Documentation" as the only reliable way to capture the current state of a legacy system. Replay serves as a "living document." When you capture an infor legacy capture proven workflow, you aren't just getting code; you are getting a visual record of truth. This record can be used for:

• •Developer Onboarding: New hires can watch the recording to understand the business process they are coding.
• •UAT (User Acceptance Testing): QA teams can compare the new React UI against the recording of the legacy UI to ensure parity.
• •Compliance Audits: Providing a clear "before and after" of how financial or sensitive data is handled.

To learn more about bridging this gap, check out our guide on Legacy Modernization Strategies.

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Conclusion: The Path to a Modern Infor M3 Experience#

Modernizing Infor M3 does not have to be a multi-year slog. The logic contained within your legacy system is a competitive advantage—it’s the UI that’s the liability. By focusing on an infor legacy capture proven strategy, you can extract that value and deliver it through a high-performance, modern React frontend.

Replay provides the bridge. By turning video into code, it eliminates the manual drudgery of documentation and the high risk of traditional rewrites. You save 70% of the time, 90% of the cost, and 100% of the headache.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay

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Frequently Asked Questions#

How does Replay handle custom Infor M3 modifications (Z-programs)?#

Replay’s Visual Reverse Engineering focuses on the user’s interaction with the UI. Because it captures the workflow visually, it doesn't matter if the backend logic is a standard M3 function or a highly customized Z-program. If the user can see it and interact with it, Replay can capture the infor legacy capture proven logic and translate it into a functional React blueprint.

Do we need to provide Replay access to our Infor M3 source code?#

No. Replay operates on the visual and interaction layer. It uses recordings of the application in use to generate code and documentation. This makes it ideal for legacy systems where source code is inaccessible, poorly documented, or written in aging languages like RPG that modern frontend developers don't speak.

Can Replay generate code for frameworks other than React?#

While Replay is optimized for React and modern Design Systems (due to their dominance in the enterprise space), the underlying Blueprints can be used to inform development across various frameworks. However, the 70% time savings are most prominently realized when moving from an infor legacy capture proven recording directly into a React-based component library.

Is the generated code maintainable, or is it "spaghetti code"?#

Replay is designed for Senior Architects who care about code quality. The AI Automation Suite follows modern best practices, generating clean, typed TypeScript code and modular React components. It doesn't just "scrape" the UI; it reconstructs it using your organization's specific Design System tokens, ensuring the output is indistinguishable from code written by a high-level human developer.

How long does it take to see results with Replay?#

Most organizations can move from a recorded Infor M3 workflow to a functional React prototype in a matter of days. For a full-scale module modernization, the timeline is typically reduced from 18 months to under 12 weeks, representing the core value of the infor legacy capture proven methodology.