Replay: The Step-by-Step Guide to Converting a Video of Your UI to Shadcn/ui Components

TL;DR: Learn how to convert a video recording of your UI into fully functional Shadcn/ui components with Replay, leveraging behavior-driven reconstruction for accurate and efficient code generation.

Replay: The Step-by-Step Guide to Converting a Video of Your UI to Shadcn/ui Components#

Tired of painstakingly recreating UIs from static mockups? What if you could simply record yourself interacting with an existing interface and have that transformed into clean, functional code? That's the power of Replay.

Replay uses a revolutionary video-to-code engine powered by Gemini to reconstruct working UIs from screen recordings. Unlike traditional screenshot-to-code tools, Replay analyzes video, understanding user behavior and intent. This "Behavior-Driven Reconstruction" approach uses the video as the source of truth, resulting in more accurate and maintainable code.

This guide will walk you through converting a video of your UI into ready-to-use Shadcn/ui components.

Why Shadcn/ui?#

Shadcn/ui is a collection of reusable UI components built using Radix UI primitives and styled with Tailwind CSS. It provides a solid foundation for building modern web applications with a focus on accessibility and performance. By generating Shadcn/ui components directly from video, Replay streamlines your development workflow and ensures consistency across your project.

Replay vs. Traditional Methods#

💡 Pro Tip: For best results, record your video in a well-lit environment with clear audio. Speak clearly about your intentions if possible.

Step-by-Step Guide to Generating Shadcn/ui Components with Replay#

Step 1: Prepare Your Video#

Before diving into Replay, ensure your video is ready. Here's what to consider:

• •Clarity: The video should be clear and stable. Avoid shaky camera work.
• •Focus: Keep the UI elements you want to convert in focus throughout the recording.
• •Workflow: Record yourself interacting with the UI as a user would. Click buttons, fill out forms, and navigate between pages. Replay uses these actions to understand the underlying logic.
• •Duration: Keep videos concise, focusing on specific interactions. Shorter videos are easier to process and result in more accurate code.
• •Format: Replay supports common video formats like MP4 and MOV.

Step 2: Upload Your Video to Replay#

1. •Navigate to the Replay platform at https://replay.build.
2. •Create an account or log in if you already have one.
3. •Click the "Upload Video" button and select the video file from your computer.

📝 Note: Replay processes your video securely and does not store it indefinitely.

Step 3: Configure Replay Settings#

After uploading your video, you'll be presented with configuration options. Here's a breakdown of the key settings:

• •Target Framework: Select "React" as the target framework.
• •UI Library: Choose "Shadcn/ui" from the dropdown menu. This tells Replay to generate components using Shadcn/ui.
• •Styling Method: Select "Tailwind CSS" as Shadcn/ui components are styled with Tailwind.
• •Multi-Page Generation: If your video includes navigation between multiple pages, enable this option. Replay will automatically detect and generate code for each page.
• •Supabase Integration: If your UI interacts with a Supabase backend (e.g., for data fetching or authentication), you can provide your Supabase credentials. Replay will attempt to generate the necessary API calls and data bindings.

Step 4: Initiate the Reconstruction Process#

Once you've configured the settings, click the "Generate Code" button. Replay will begin processing your video and generating the corresponding Shadcn/ui components. This process may take a few minutes, depending on the length of the video and the complexity of the UI.

⚠️ Warning: Ensure you have the necessary Shadcn/ui dependencies installed in your project before using the generated code.

Step 5: Review and Refine the Generated Code#

After Replay finishes processing your video, you'll be presented with a code preview. This allows you to review the generated Shadcn/ui components and make any necessary adjustments.

• •Component Structure: Verify that the components are structured logically and that the hierarchy matches your intended design.
• •Styling: Check the Tailwind CSS classes to ensure the components are styled correctly.
• •Functionality: Test the functionality of the components to ensure they behave as expected. Pay close attention to event handlers and data bindings.
• •Accessibility: Review the generated code for accessibility issues. Ensure that all components have appropriate ARIA attributes and that the UI is usable by people with disabilities.

Step 6: Download and Integrate the Code#

Once you're satisfied with the generated code, you can download it as a ZIP file or copy it directly to your clipboard. Integrate the code into your React project, ensuring that you have the necessary Shadcn/ui dependencies installed.

bash
npx shadcn-ui@latest init

Example: Generating a Button Component#

Let's say you recorded a video of yourself clicking a "Submit" button. Replay might generate the following Shadcn/ui component:

typescript
// Generated by Replay
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

export function SubmitButton() {
  return (
    <Button variant="primary" type="submit">
      Submit
    </Button>
  )
}

This code creates a Shadcn/ui Button component with the "primary" variant and sets the type to "submit". You can then import and use this component in your React application.

Style Injection#

Replay's style injection feature allows you to apply custom styles to the generated components. You can define CSS classes or Tailwind CSS utilities that will be automatically applied to the appropriate elements. This gives you fine-grained control over the appearance of your UI.

For example, if you want to add a custom background color to the SubmitButton, you can define a CSS class like this:

css
/* Custom styles for SubmitButton */
.custom-button {
  background-color: #007bff;
  color: white;
}

Then, in Replay, you can specify that the "custom-button" class should be applied to the SubmitButton component. Replay will automatically update the generated code to include the class.

typescript
// Generated by Replay (with style injection)
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

export function SubmitButton() {
  return (
    <Button variant="primary" type="submit" className="custom-button">
      Submit
    </Button>
  )
}

Product Flow Maps#

Replay's Product Flow Maps feature automatically generates a visual representation of the user flow in your video. This helps you understand how users interact with your UI and identify potential areas for improvement. The flow map shows the sequence of actions performed by the user, including clicks, form submissions, and page transitions.

This is particularly useful for complex UIs with multiple pages and interactions. The Product Flow Map can help you ensure that the user experience is smooth and intuitive.

Benefits of Using Replay#

• •Speed Up Development: Generate code from video in seconds, saving you hours of manual coding.
• •Improve Accuracy: Behavior-driven reconstruction ensures that the generated code accurately reflects the intended functionality.
• •Maintain Consistency: Generate Shadcn/ui components that adhere to your project's design system.
• •Enhance Collaboration: Share videos and generated code with your team for easier collaboration.
• •Automate UI Testing: Use Replay to generate test cases based on user interactions in the video.

Frequently Asked Questions#

Is Replay free to use?#

Replay offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans are available for users who need more advanced functionality, such as multi-page generation and Supabase integration.

How is Replay different from v0.dev?#

While both tools aim to generate UI code, Replay uses video as its primary input, allowing it to understand user behavior and intent. v0.dev typically relies on text prompts or design specifications. Replay's behavior-driven approach results in more accurate and functional code. Also, Replay directly supports Supabase integration and product flow maps.

What frameworks and UI libraries does Replay support?#

Replay currently supports React with Shadcn/ui and Tailwind CSS. Support for other frameworks and libraries is planned for future releases.

What if the generated code isn't perfect?#

Replay is designed to generate high-quality code, but it may not always be perfect. The code preview allows you to review and refine the generated code before integrating it into your project. You can also provide feedback to Replay to help improve its accuracy.

How secure is my video data?#

Replay processes your video securely and does not store it indefinitely. Your video data is encrypted both in transit and at rest.

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