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January 5, 20267 min readReplay AI: Build

Replay AI: Build reusable and customizable UI components from video using React

R
Replay Team
Developer Advocates

TL;DR: Replay AI leverages video analysis and Gemini to reconstruct fully functional, customizable React UI components, enabling rapid prototyping and development from existing user flows.

From Video to React: Replay AI's Revolutionary Approach to UI Development#

The traditional UI development process can be painstakingly slow. Manually coding components, styling them, and integrating them into a cohesive application often involves countless hours of repetitive work. What if you could bypass a significant portion of that process, leveraging existing user flows to generate working code? That's the promise of Replay AI.

Replay AI isn't just another screenshot-to-code tool. It's a behavior-driven reconstruction engine that analyzes video recordings of user interactions to understand the underlying intent and generate reusable React UI components. This approach unlocks a new level of efficiency and customization in UI development.

Why Video Matters: Behavior-Driven Reconstruction#

The key difference between Replay AI and other code generation tools lies in its use of video as the primary input. While screenshot-based tools can only capture static visual elements, Replay analyzes the behavior exhibited in the video. This allows Replay to understand:

  • User interactions (clicks, scrolls, form submissions)
  • Data flow and state changes
  • Intended functionality of UI elements

This "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction" enables Replay to generate more accurate, functional, and customizable components than tools that rely solely on visual information.

Replay AI Features: Powering Efficient UI Development#

Replay AI offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline the UI development process:

  • Multi-Page Generation: Replay can analyze multi-page flows and generate corresponding React components, preserving navigation and data consistency.
  • Supabase Integration: Seamlessly integrate your generated components with Supabase for backend functionality, including data fetching and persistence.
  • Style Injection: Customize the look and feel of your components by injecting custom CSS or utilizing your existing design system.
  • Product Flow Maps: Visualize the user flow captured in the video, providing a clear overview of the component's functionality and interactions.

Comparing Replay AI to Traditional Methods and Existing Tools#

FeatureTraditional CodingScreenshot-to-Codev0.devReplay AI
InputManual CodeScreenshotText PromptVideo
Behavior AnalysisManualLimitedLimited
Component ReusabilityManualLimitedGoodExcellent
CustomizationFull ControlLimitedGoodExcellent
Backend IntegrationManualManualManualSimplified
Learning CurveHighLowMediumLow

As you can see, Replay AI bridges the gap between the control of manual coding and the speed of automated generation.

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

Let's walk through a practical example of using Replay AI to generate a React component from a video recording of a simple to-do list application.

Step 1: Recording the User Flow#

First, record a video of yourself interacting with the to-do list application. Ensure the video clearly captures the following:

  • Adding new tasks
  • Marking tasks as complete
  • Deleting tasks

💡 Pro Tip: Speak clearly while recording, describing your actions. This can help Replay AI better understand your intent.

Step 2: Uploading and Analyzing the Video#

Upload the video to Replay AI. The platform will analyze the video, identify UI elements, and reconstruct the underlying logic. This process typically takes a few minutes, depending on the complexity of the video.

Step 3: Reviewing and Customizing the Generated Code#

Once the analysis is complete, Replay AI will present you with the generated React code. You can review the code, make any necessary adjustments, and customize the component to fit your specific needs.

Here's an example of the code Replay AI might generate for adding a new task:

typescript
import React, { useState } from 'react'; interface TodoItem { id: number; text: string; completed: boolean; } const TodoList: React.FC = () => { const [todos, setTodos] = useState<TodoItem[]>([]); const [newTask, setNewTask] = useState(''); const handleInputChange = (event: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => { setNewTask(event.target.value); }; const handleAddTask = () => { if (newTask.trim() !== '') { setTodos([...todos, { id: Date.now(), text: newTask, completed: false }]); setNewTask(''); } }; return ( <div> <input type="text" value={newTask} onChange={handleInputChange} placeholder="Add new task" /> <button onClick={handleAddTask}>Add</button> <ul> {todos.map((todo) => ( <li key={todo.id}> {todo.text} </li> ))} </ul> </div> ); }; export default TodoList;

📝 Note: The generated code may vary depending on the complexity of the video and the specific user interactions.

Step 4: Integrating with Supabase (Optional)#

If you want to persist the to-do list data, you can easily integrate the generated component with Supabase. Replay AI can automatically generate the necessary Supabase queries and mutations to handle data fetching and persistence.

⚠️ Warning: Ensure you have a Supabase project set up and configured correctly before attempting to integrate with Replay AI.

Step 5: Style Injection and Further Customization#

Finally, you can inject custom CSS or utilize your existing design system to style the generated component. Replay AI allows you to easily modify the component's appearance to match your application's overall design. You can further customize the component by adding new features, modifying existing functionality, or refactoring the code to improve its readability and maintainability.

Real-World Use Cases for Replay AI#

Replay AI can be used in a variety of real-world scenarios, including:

  • Rapid Prototyping: Quickly generate working prototypes from existing user flows, allowing you to validate your ideas and gather feedback early in the development process.
  • Component Library Creation: Create a library of reusable UI components from video recordings of existing applications, ensuring consistency and reducing development time.
  • Legacy Code Modernization: Reconstruct UI components from video recordings of legacy applications, allowing you to modernize your codebase without having to manually rewrite everything from scratch.
  • User Onboarding: Create interactive tutorials and onboarding flows by recording user interactions and generating corresponding React components.

The Future of UI Development with Replay AI#

Replay AI represents a significant step forward in the evolution of UI development. By leveraging video analysis and behavior-driven reconstruction, Replay AI empowers developers to:

  • Reduce Development Time: Automate the generation of React UI components, freeing up developers to focus on more complex tasks.
  • Improve Code Quality: Generate clean, well-structured code that is easy to understand and maintain.
  • Enhance User Experience: Create more intuitive and user-friendly interfaces by analyzing real user interactions.

Replay AI is poised to transform the way we build UIs, making the development process faster, more efficient, and more enjoyable.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay AI free to use?#

Replay AI offers a free tier with limited usage. Paid plans are available for increased usage and access to advanced features. Check the Replay pricing page for details.

How is Replay AI different from v0.dev?#

While both Replay AI and v0.dev aim to accelerate UI development, they differ significantly in their approach. v0.dev uses text prompts to generate code, whereas Replay AI uses video analysis. This allows Replay AI to understand user behavior and generate more accurate and functional components. Replay AI also offers features like Supabase integration and style injection, which are not available in v0.dev.

What types of videos can Replay AI analyze?#

Replay AI can analyze a wide range of videos, including screen recordings, user testing sessions, and product demos. The video should clearly capture the user interactions and the UI elements involved.


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