Replay: Build UI for React Admin Dashboards Using Existing Video Demos

TL;DR: Replay lets you build React admin dashboards from video demos by intelligently reconstructing the UI and underlying logic, saving you countless hours of manual coding.

Admin dashboards are the backbone of many web applications. Building them from scratch is tedious. Manually translating a product demo video into a functional React dashboard is a nightmare of pixel-perfect recreations and reverse-engineering user flows. What if you could simply show a video of the desired dashboard and have the code generated for you?

That's the power of Replay.

Replay analyzes video recordings to understand user behavior and reconstruct fully functional UI components. Forget screenshot-to-code limitations. Replay uses Behavior-Driven Reconstruction, treating the video as the source of truth for not just the look of the UI, but also the intended functionality.

Why Video-to-Code is a Game Changer for Dashboard Development#

Traditional methods of building dashboards are time-consuming and prone to errors. Manually coding each component, wiring up data sources, and ensuring responsiveness across devices is a significant undertaking. Screenshot-to-code tools offer a slight improvement, but they lack the crucial understanding of how the UI is meant to be used.

Replay offers a paradigm shift:

• •Speed: Generate code in seconds, not hours.
• •Accuracy: Behavior-driven reconstruction ensures functional accuracy.
• •Flexibility: Adapt generated code to your specific needs.
• •Collaboration: Easily share video demos and generated code with your team.

Building a React Admin Dashboard from a Video with Replay: A Step-by-Step Guide#

Let's walk through the process of building a React admin dashboard using Replay and a sample video demo. We'll assume you have a video recording of a dashboard you want to replicate.

Step 1: Prepare Your Video#

Ensure your video is clear and demonstrates the key features and user flows of the dashboard. The better the video quality and clarity, the more accurate the generated code will be.

💡 Pro Tip: Record your video in a well-lit environment with minimal background noise. Focus on demonstrating the core functionalities of the dashboard, such as data visualization, user management, and content creation.

Step 2: Upload Your Video to Replay#

Navigate to the Replay platform (https://replay.build) and upload your video. Replay supports various video formats, including MP4, MOV, and WebM.

Step 3: Configure Reconstruction Settings#

Replay offers several configuration options to tailor the reconstruction process:

• •Multi-page generation: Enable this if your video demonstrates multiple pages within the dashboard. Replay will automatically detect page transitions and generate separate components for each page.
• •Supabase integration: Connect your Supabase project to automatically integrate data fetching and persistence logic into the generated code.
• •Style injection: Choose a styling approach (e.g., CSS-in-JS, Tailwind CSS) to ensure consistency with your existing codebase.
• •Product Flow maps: Replay will generate a visual representation of the user flows demonstrated in the video, making it easier to understand the application's logic.

Step 4: Review and Refine the Generated Code#

Once the reconstruction process is complete, Replay will present you with the generated React code. Review the code carefully and make any necessary adjustments.

📝 Note: While Replay strives for pixel-perfect accuracy, minor adjustments may be required to fine-tune the UI and ensure seamless integration with your existing application.

Step 5: Integrate the Code into Your React Project#

Copy the generated code into your React project. You may need to install additional dependencies or configure your build process to support the chosen styling approach.

Example: Generated React Component#

Here's an example of a React component generated by Replay for a simple dashboard card:

typescript
// Generated by Replay
import React from 'react';
import styled from 'styled-components';

const CardContainer = styled.div`
  background-color: #fff;
  border-radius: 8px;
  box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
  padding: 16px;
  width: 300px;
`;

const CardTitle = styled.h3`
  font-size: 18px;
  font-weight: bold;
  margin-bottom: 8px;
`;

const CardValue = styled.p`
  font-size: 24px;
  font-weight: bold;
  color: #3498db;
`;

interface CardProps {
  title: string;
  value: number;
}

const DashboardCard: React.FC<CardProps> = ({ title, value }) => {
  return (
    <CardContainer>
      <CardTitle>{title}</CardTitle>
      <CardValue>{value}</CardValue>
    </CardContainer>
  );
};

export default DashboardCard;

This code provides a basic, styled component for displaying a key metric in the dashboard. You can further customize this component to meet your specific requirements.

Step 6: Connect to Your Data Source (Supabase Example)#

If you enabled Supabase integration, Replay will generate code for fetching data from your Supabase database. Here's an example:

typescript
// Generated by Replay with Supabase integration
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

const supabaseUrl = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL;
const supabaseKey = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY;

const supabase = createClient(supabaseUrl, supabaseKey);

interface DataItem {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  value: number;
}

const DataComponent: React.FC = () => {
  const [data, setData] = useState<DataItem[]>([]);

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

      if (error) {
        console.error('Error fetching data:', error);
      } else {
        setData(data);
      }
    };

    fetchData();
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      {data.map(item => (
        <div key={item.id}>
          {item.name}: {item.value}
        </div>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
};

export default DataComponent;

This code demonstrates how to fetch data from a Supabase table and display it in a React component. Remember to configure your Supabase URL and API key in your environment variables.

⚠️ Warning: Always store your Supabase API keys securely and avoid committing them directly to your codebase. Use environment variables or a secrets management solution.

Benefits of Using Replay for Dashboard Development#

• •Reduced Development Time: Generate UI components and data fetching logic in minutes, not days.
• •Improved Accuracy: Behavior-driven reconstruction ensures the generated code aligns with the intended user experience.
• •Enhanced Collaboration: Easily share video demos and generated code with your team, fostering better communication and collaboration.
• •Faster Prototyping: Quickly prototype new dashboard features and iterate on designs based on real-world usage patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

Replay offers a free tier with limited usage. Paid plans are available for more extensive use and advanced features. Check the Replay pricing page for the latest details.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both Replay and v0.dev aim to accelerate UI development, they differ in their approach. v0.dev primarily uses AI to generate code based on text prompts, while Replay analyzes video recordings to understand user behavior and reconstruct the UI accordingly. Replay's behavior-driven approach often results in more accurate and functional code, especially for complex user flows.

What types of admin dashboards can Replay generate?#

Replay can generate code for a wide range of admin dashboards, including those for e-commerce, SaaS, CRM, and more. The key is to provide a clear video demo that showcases the dashboard's key features and user flows.

What if the generated code isn't perfect?#

The generated code serves as a solid foundation. You can always customize and extend the code to meet your specific requirements. Replay aims to significantly reduce development time, even if some manual adjustments are necessary.

What styling frameworks are supported?#

Replay supports various styling frameworks, including CSS-in-JS (styled-components, Emotion), Tailwind CSS, and traditional CSS. You can choose the styling approach that best suits your project.

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