Replay: The Easiest Way to Convert Video Explanations to Working Code

TL;DR: Replay uses video analysis and AI to automatically generate working UI code from screen recordings, enabling rapid prototyping and documentation.

Stop Explaining, Start Building: Video-to-Code is Here#

Documentation is a pain. Explaining complex UI flows is even worse. What if you could simply show someone how to use your product and have that demonstration automatically transformed into working code? That's the power of Replay.

For years, developers have wrestled with the gap between design and implementation. Static screenshots can only convey so much. Traditional "screenshot-to-code" tools fall short because they only capture visual elements, missing the crucial context of user behavior. Replay bridges this gap by analyzing video, understanding the user's intent, and generating functional UI components. This "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction" allows you to create prototypes, document flows, and even train new team members faster than ever before.

Why Video Matters: Understanding User Intent#

The key difference between Replay and other code generation tools lies in its ability to process video, not just images. This unlocks a new level of understanding of user behavior, leading to more accurate and useful code generation. Consider the following scenario: A user clicks a button, types in a form, and navigates to a new page. A screenshot-to-code tool only sees the visual elements at each stage. Replay, however, understands the sequence of actions and the relationships between them.

This understanding is critical for generating code that not only looks good but also works as intended. For example, Replay can infer data dependencies, event handlers, and navigation logic from the video, leading to more complete and functional UI components.

Replay in Action: Key Features#

Replay isn't just a concept; it's a fully functional tool packed with features designed to streamline your development workflow.

Multi-Page Generation#

Replay can analyze videos that span multiple pages or views within an application. This is crucial for capturing complex user flows, such as onboarding sequences or multi-step forms. The generated code will accurately reflect the transitions and data dependencies between these pages, ensuring a seamless user experience.

Supabase Integration#

Need to connect your generated UI to a backend? Replay seamlessly integrates with Supabase, a popular open-source Firebase alternative. This allows you to quickly prototype data-driven applications without writing boilerplate code. Replay can infer data models and API endpoints from the video, automatically generating the necessary code to fetch and display data.

Style Injection#

Maintaining a consistent design language is essential for any successful application. Replay allows you to inject your existing CSS or Tailwind styles into the generated code, ensuring that the UI components match your brand guidelines. This feature saves you time and effort by eliminating the need to manually style each component.

Product Flow Maps#

Replay goes beyond code generation by creating visual product flow maps based on the video analysis. These maps provide a high-level overview of the user journey, highlighting key interactions and navigation paths. This is invaluable for identifying potential usability issues and optimizing the user experience.

Comparing Replay to the Alternatives#

Let's take a closer look at how Replay stacks up against other code generation tools.

As you can see, Replay offers a unique combination of features that address the limitations of existing code generation tools. Its ability to analyze video and understand user behavior sets it apart, leading to more accurate, functional, and context-aware code generation.

Building a Login Form with Replay: A Step-by-Step Guide#

Let's walk through a practical example of using Replay to generate code for a simple login form.

Step 1: Record a Video#

Record a short video demonstrating the login process. This should include:

1. •Navigating to the login page.
2. •Typing in the username and password.
3. •Clicking the "Login" button.
4. •(Optionally) Displaying a success or error message.

💡 Pro Tip: Keep the video concise and focused on the core functionality. Avoid unnecessary distractions or interactions.

Step 2: Upload to Replay#

Upload the video to Replay. The AI engine will automatically analyze the video and generate the corresponding code.

Step 3: Review and Refine the Code#

Replay will generate code that resembles the following (example in React):

typescript
// Generated by Replay
import React, { useState } from 'react';

const LoginForm = () => {
  const [username, setUsername] = useState('');
  const [password, setPassword] = useState('');
  const [error, setError] = useState('');

  const handleSubmit = async (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    // Simulate authentication
    if (username === 'user' && password === 'password') {
      alert('Login successful!');
    } else {
      setError('Invalid username or password');
    }
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      {error && <p style={{ color: 'red' }}>{error}</p>}
      <label htmlFor="username">Username:</label>
      <input
        type="text"
        id="username"
        value={username}
        onChange={(e) => setUsername(e.target.value)}
      />
      <label htmlFor="password">Password:</label>
      <input
        type="password"
        id="password"
        value={password}
        onChange={(e) => setPassword(e.target.value)}
      />
      <button type="submit">Login</button>
    </form>
  );
};

export default LoginForm;

📝 Note: This is a simplified example. Replay can generate more complex code, including data validation, API calls, and state management.

Step 4: Customize and Integrate#

Review the generated code and customize it to fit your specific needs. You can:

• •Adjust the styling to match your design system.
• •Replace the simulated authentication with a real API call.
• •Add error handling and validation.

Benefits of Using Replay#

• •Rapid Prototyping: Quickly create functional prototypes from video demonstrations.
• •Improved Documentation: Automatically generate code examples and product flow maps.
• •Faster Onboarding: Train new team members by showing them how to use the product and generating code examples.
• •Reduced Development Time: Eliminate the need to manually write boilerplate code.
• •Enhanced Collaboration: Share video demonstrations and generated code with team members for faster feedback and iteration.

⚠️ Warning: Replay is a powerful tool, but it's not a replacement for good software engineering practices. Always review and test the generated code thoroughly before deploying it to production.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

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

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both Replay and v0.dev aim to accelerate UI development, they take fundamentally different approaches. V0.dev relies on text prompts and AI to imagine the UI. Replay, on the other hand, analyzes real user interactions in video to reconstruct the UI, ensuring accuracy and capturing the intended behavior. Replay focuses on understanding existing UI patterns and flows, whereas v0.dev is better suited for generating entirely new designs from scratch.

What frameworks does Replay support?#

Currently, Replay primarily supports React, but support for other popular frameworks like Vue and Angular is planned for the future.

Can I use Replay to generate code for mobile apps?#

Yes, Replay can analyze videos of mobile app interactions and generate code for mobile UI frameworks like React Native.

How secure is Replay?#

Replay uses industry-standard security measures to protect your data. All videos are processed securely, and the generated code is free from malicious code.

---

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