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January 8, 20267 min readReplay: AI-Powered UI

Replay: AI-Powered UI Generation for CRM Dashboards from Video Recordings

R
Replay Team
Developer Advocates

TL;DR: Replay uses AI to analyze video recordings of CRM dashboard interactions, reconstructing functional UIs with behavior-driven code generation.

The promise of AI-powered code generation is tantalizing, but existing tools often fall short when dealing with complex, interactive UIs like CRM dashboards. Screenshot-to-code solutions can only capture the visual surface, missing the crucial context of user behavior and the underlying logic. What if you could simply record a video of yourself interacting with a CRM dashboard and have AI reconstruct a fully functional UI based on that behavior? That's precisely what Replay enables.

Understanding Behavior-Driven Reconstruction#

Replay leverages a novel "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction" approach. Instead of merely converting pixels to code, it analyzes video recordings to understand user intent. It identifies clicks, form submissions, data manipulations, and navigation patterns to generate code that mirrors the observed behavior. This goes far beyond static image analysis, capturing the dynamic nature of user interaction.

The Problem with Screenshot-to-Code#

Screenshot-to-code tools offer a quick way to translate visual designs into code. However, they lack the ability to capture dynamic behavior. Consider a CRM dashboard:

  • •A user filters a table of sales leads.
  • •They click on a lead to view detailed information.
  • •They update a field and save the changes.

A screenshot only captures a single state of the dashboard. It doesn't reveal the filtering process, the navigation flow, or the data modification. This is where video-to-code engines like Replay shine.

FeatureScreenshot-to-CodeReplay
InputStatic ImageVideo
Behavior Analysis❌✅
Dynamic UI SupportLimitedFull
User IntentIgnoredAnalyzed

Replay: Transforming Video into Functional CRM Dashboards#

Replay offers a comprehensive solution for generating working UI code from video recordings of CRM dashboard interactions. Here's how it works:

  1. •

    Record Your Interaction: Use any screen recording tool to capture your interaction with the CRM dashboard. Focus on showcasing the key functionalities you want to replicate.

  2. •

    Upload to Replay: Upload the video to the Replay platform.

  3. •

    AI Analysis and Code Generation: Replay's AI engine analyzes the video, identifying UI elements, user actions, and data flows. It then generates clean, well-structured code representing the dashboard's functionality.

  4. •

    Customize and Deploy: The generated code can be customized and integrated into your existing project. Replay supports style injection and integration with backend services like Supabase.

Key Features of Replay#

  • •

    Multi-Page Generation: Replay can handle multi-page applications, reconstructing navigation flows and data dependencies between pages.

  • •

    Supabase Integration: Seamlessly integrate with Supabase for data storage and retrieval. Replay can generate code that interacts with your Supabase database based on the observed data interactions in the video.

  • •

    Style Injection: Customize the look and feel of the generated UI by injecting custom CSS styles.

  • •

    Product Flow Maps: Visualize the user flow captured in the video, providing a clear understanding of the application's navigation and functionality.

Building a CRM Dashboard UI with Replay: A Step-by-Step Guide#

Let's walk through a practical example of using Replay to generate a CRM dashboard UI from a video recording.

Step 1: Record Your CRM Dashboard Interaction#

Record a video showcasing the key features of your CRM dashboard. This could include:

  • •Viewing a list of customers
  • •Filtering customers by region
  • •Adding a new customer
  • •Editing an existing customer's details

💡 Pro Tip: Speak clearly while recording, describing your actions. This helps Replay's AI better understand your intent.

Step 2: Upload the Video to Replay#

Log in to the Replay platform and upload your video recording. The platform will begin analyzing the video and generating the UI code.

Step 3: Review and Customize the Generated Code#

Once the code generation is complete, review the generated code. You can customize the code to match your specific requirements. For example, you might want to:

  • •Adjust the styling of the UI elements
  • •Modify the data validation rules
  • •Integrate with your existing backend services

Step 4: Integrate with Supabase (Optional)#

If your CRM dashboard uses Supabase for data storage, you can configure Replay to generate code that interacts with your Supabase database.

  1. •Connect to Supabase: Provide your Supabase API URL and API key to Replay.
  2. •Map Data Fields: Map the data fields in your CRM dashboard to the corresponding columns in your Supabase database.

Replay will then generate code that automatically retrieves and updates data from your Supabase database.

Step 5: Style Injection#

To customize the look and feel of the generated UI, you can inject custom CSS styles. Replay provides a simple interface for adding CSS styles to the generated code.

css
/* Example CSS styles */
.customer-name {
  font-weight: bold;
  color: #333;
}

.customer-email {
  font-style: italic;
}

Step 6: Deploy Your CRM Dashboard UI#

Once you're satisfied with the generated code, you can deploy your CRM dashboard UI to your web server or hosting platform.

Code Example: Generated React Component#

Here's an example of a React component generated by Replay for displaying a list of customers:

typescript
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';

// Initialize Supabase client
const supabaseUrl = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL;
const supabaseKey = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY;
const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseKey);

interface Customer {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  email: string;
  region: string;
}

const CustomerList = () => {
  const [customers, setCustomers] = useState<Customer[]>([]);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);

  useEffect(() => {
    const fetchCustomers = async () => {
      try {
        const { data, error } = await supabase
          .from('customers')
          .select('*');

        if (error) {
          console.error('Error fetching customers:', error);
        } else {
          setCustomers(data || []);
        }
      } finally {
        setLoading(false);
      }
    };

    fetchCustomers();
  }, []);

  if (loading) {
    return <div>Loading customers...</div>;
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>Customer List</h2>
      <ul>
        {customers.map((customer) => (
          <li key={customer.id}>
            <span className="customer-name">{customer.name}</span> - <span className="customer-email">{customer.email}</span> - {customer.region}
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
};

export default CustomerList;

⚠️ Warning: Remember to configure your Supabase credentials in your environment variables.

This code demonstrates how Replay can generate a functional React component that fetches data from Supabase and displays it in a list. The generated code includes styling hooks (e.g.,

text
className="customer-name"
) that you can use to customize the look and feel of the component.

Benefits of Using Replay#

  • •Faster Development: Generate working UI code in seconds, significantly reducing development time.
  • •Improved Accuracy: Capture user behavior and intent, resulting in more accurate and functional UIs.
  • •Reduced Costs: Automate the UI development process, lowering development costs.
  • •Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitate collaboration between designers and developers by providing a common language for describing UI behavior.
  • •Behavior-Driven Design: Design UIs based on real user behavior, leading to more user-friendly and effective applications.

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 usage. Check the Replay pricing page for details.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both Replay and v0.dev aim to simplify UI development, they differ in their approach. v0.dev primarily uses text prompts to generate UI code, while Replay analyzes video recordings of user interactions. Replay's video-to-code approach allows it to capture dynamic behavior and user intent, leading to more accurate and functional UIs, especially for complex applications like CRM dashboards.

What types of applications can Replay be used for?#

Replay can be used for a wide range of applications, including:

  • •CRM dashboards
  • •E-commerce websites
  • •Mobile apps
  • •Web applications
  • •Internal tools

What programming languages and frameworks does Replay support?#

Replay supports a variety of popular programming languages and frameworks, including:

  • •React
  • •Vue.js
  • •Angular
  • •HTML
  • •CSS
  • •JavaScript

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

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