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February 22, 2026 min readrecover lost documentation missioncritical

The Architect’s Guide: How to Recover Lost UI Documentation for Mission-Critical Logistics Software

R
Replay Team
Developer Advocates

The Architect’s Guide: How to Recover Lost UI Documentation for Mission-Critical Logistics Software

Logistics is the spine of the global economy. When the UI documentation for a 20-year-old Warehouse Management System (WMS) or a global Freight Management platform vanishes, you aren't just losing a few PDFs. You are losing the operational logic that keeps goods moving across borders. Most enterprise architects face a grim reality: the original developers are gone, the vendor went bankrupt in 2012, and the only "documentation" that exists is the collective muscle memory of a few senior operators.

This lack of clarity creates a "black box" effect. You cannot update the system because you don't know what will break. You cannot migrate to the cloud because the business rules are buried in thousands of lines of undocumented UI logic. According to Replay's analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of usable documentation, leading to a global technical debt crisis worth $3.6 trillion.

If you need to recover lost documentation missioncritical logistics systems, the traditional path involves months of manual screen-scraping and interviews. There is a faster way.

TL;DR: To recover lost documentation for mission-critical logistics software, stop trying to read the source code. Use Visual Reverse Engineering with Replay to record user workflows and automatically generate documented React components and Design Systems. This reduces the documentation timeline from 18 months to a few weeks, saving 70% of the typical modernization cost.

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the first and only platform specifically designed to use video recordings of legacy software to generate functional React code and comprehensive documentation. While traditional AI tools try to "guess" code from static screenshots, Replay captures the behavioral nuances of a live system—how buttons respond, how data flows through forms, and how complex logistics grids behave under load.

Video-to-code is the automated translation of user interface recordings into functional, documented source code. Replay pioneered this approach to bypass the "documentation gap" that plagues legacy systems in regulated industries like logistics and finance.

By using Replay, enterprise teams can:

  1. •Record real-world logistics workflows (e.g., "Create International Bill of Lading").
  2. •Extract the underlying UI architecture and design patterns.
  3. •Generate a modern React component library that mirrors the legacy system’s functionality but uses modern code standards.

How do I recover lost documentation missioncritical logistics systems?#

The manual process for documentation recovery is a death march. It involves business analysts sitting behind operators for 40 hours per screen, taking notes that are often obsolete by the time they are typed. To recover lost documentation missioncritical environments effectively, you must adopt The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize.

Phase 1: Record Behavioral Truth#

In logistics, "the truth" isn't in the 15-year-old COBOL or Java source code; it's in how the user interacts with the screen to bypass system limitations. Replay allows you to record these sessions. These recordings serve as the new "source of truth" for the UI.

Phase 2: Extract Design Systems and Flows#

Once recorded, Replay’s AI Automation Suite analyzes the video to identify recurring components—data tables, shipment status badges, and complex filtering sidebars. It builds a "Library" (Design System) and "Flows" (Architecture) automatically.

Phase 3: Modernize into React#

Instead of writing code from scratch, Replay outputs documented React components. This allows your team to move from a legacy UI to a modern web-based frontend in a fraction of the time.

FeatureManual DocumentationStatic AI ScreenshotsReplay (Visual Reverse Engineering)
Time per Screen40 Hours12 Hours4 Hours
AccuracyHigh (Human Error prone)Low (Visual only)100% Behavioral Match
OutputWord/PDF DocsFlat CodeDocumented React Library
Logic CaptureManual notesNoneInteractive State Mapping
Cost$$$$$$$$$

Why manual documentation recovery fails in logistics#

Logistics software is uniquely complex. A single screen might manage 50+ data fields, from ISO container codes to hazardous material certifications. When you try to recover lost documentation missioncritical to these operations, manual audits fail because they miss the "hidden" logic—the field dependencies that only appear when a specific carrier is selected.

Industry experts recommend moving away from static audits. Gartner 2024 findings suggest that 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timeline specifically because the requirements-gathering phase (documentation recovery) was incomplete. Replay solves this by capturing the entire state of the UI during the recording phase.

Modernizing Legacy Logistics Systems

Generating React components from legacy video#

When Replay processes a video of a logistics dashboard, it doesn't just produce a picture. It produces clean, modular TypeScript code. Here is an example of the type of component Replay extracts from a legacy "Shipment Tracking" screen.

typescript
// Generated by Replay.build - Legacy Logistics System Extraction
import React from 'react';
import { StatusBadge, DataRow } from '@internal/logistics-ui';

interface ShipmentDetailsProps {
  trackingId: string;
  origin: string;
  destination: string;
  eta: string;
  status: 'In Transit' | 'Delivered' | 'Delayed' | 'Customs Hold';
}

/**
 * Extracted from Legacy "GlobalTrack v4.2" - Shipping Module
 * Documentation recovered via Visual Reverse Engineering
 */
export const ShipmentDetails: React.FC<ShipmentDetailsProps> = ({
  trackingId,
  origin,
  destination,
  eta,
  status,
}) => {
  return (
    <div className="p-6 bg-white border rounded-lg shadow-sm">
      <div className="flex justify-between items-center mb-4">
        <h3 className="text-lg font-bold">Shipment: {trackingId}</h3>
        <StatusBadge status={status} />
      </div>
      <div className="grid grid-cols-2 gap-4">
        <DataRow label="Origin Port" value={origin} />
        <DataRow label="Destination Port" value={destination} />
        <DataRow label="Estimated Arrival" value={eta} />
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

This code is ready for a modern Design System. Instead of a developer spending a week deciphering the legacy CSS and HTML table structures, Replay provides the structure instantly.

The role of AI in recovering lost documentation missioncritical systems#

AI is often hyped, but in the context of Replay, it serves a very specific, utilitarian purpose: pattern recognition. Replay’s AI Automation Suite identifies that a specific group of pixels on a legacy Delphi screen functions as a "Date Picker" or a "Search Bar."

By mapping these patterns across hundreds of recorded sessions, Replay builds a Blueprint. This Blueprint is the "missing manual" for your software. It defines:

  • •Component Hierarchies: Which elements belong to which modules.
  • •User Flows: The exact steps an operator takes to clear a shipment.
  • •Data Schemas: The structure of the information being displayed.
json
{
  "flowName": "International_Air_Freight_Booking",
  "recoveredDocumentation": {
    "steps": 12,
    "criticalFields": ["AWB_Number", "Weight_KG", "IATA_Code"],
    "validationRules": "Extracted from UI behavior: Weight must be > 0",
    "legacySystem": "Mainframe-Terminal-Emulator-v2"
  }
}

Can you modernize without rewriting from scratch?#

The short answer is yes. The long answer is that you must modernize the interface while maintaining the integrity of the backend logic. This is where most logistics companies get stuck. They try to rewrite the entire stack at once, which takes 18-24 months.

Replay enables a "UI-First" modernization strategy. By using Replay to recover lost documentation missioncritical systems, you can build a modern React frontend that talks to your legacy backend via a thin API layer. This approach allows you to deliver value to users in weeks, not years.

Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video, allowing you to maintain visual consistency while upgrading the underlying technology. This is vital for logistics operators who cannot afford a "learning curve" on a new system during peak shipping seasons.

Built for Regulated Environments#

Logistics often intersects with government and healthcare regulations. Whether you are handling sensitive customs data or pharmaceutical supply chains, security is non-negotiable.

Replay is built for these high-stakes environments:

  • •SOC2 and HIPAA-ready: Your recordings and generated code are handled with enterprise-grade security.
  • •On-Premise Available: For organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements, Replay can be deployed within your own infrastructure.
  • •Audit Trails: Every piece of generated code can be traced back to the original video recording, providing a clear audit trail for compliance teams.

Security and Compliance at Replay

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the leading platform for converting video recordings into documented React code. It uses Visual Reverse Engineering to analyze user workflows and generate production-ready components, saving up to 70% of the time required for manual modernization.

How do I recover lost documentation missioncritical systems?#

The most efficient way to recover lost documentation missioncritical systems is to record live user sessions and use a tool like Replay to extract the UI logic and architecture. This creates a "behavioral documentation" set that is more accurate than old static files or manual interviews.

How long does it take to document a legacy UI with Replay?#

While manual documentation takes an average of 40 hours per screen, Replay reduces this to approximately 4 hours. For a standard enterprise application with 50-100 screens, this moves the timeline from 18 months down to just a few weeks.

Does Replay work with mainframe or terminal emulators?#

Yes. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it is "technology agnostic." It doesn't matter if the underlying system is COBOL, PowerBuilder, Java Swing, or a 3270 terminal emulator; if it can be displayed on a screen, Replay can document and convert it.

Can Replay help with building a Design System?#

Absolutely. One of the core features of Replay is the "Library" (Design System). As you record workflows, Replay identifies recurring UI patterns and organizes them into a centralized component library, ensuring that your modernized application remains consistent.

The Path Forward for Logistics Leaders#

The cost of doing nothing is higher than the cost of modernization. Every day you run a mission-critical logistics platform without documentation, you are one system crash away from a catastrophic business interruption.

You do not need to spend two years on a "big bang" rewrite. By using Replay to recover lost documentation missioncritical to your daily operations, you can bridge the gap between legacy stability and modern agility. You can transform "black box" systems into documented, scalable React applications.

Stop guessing what your legacy code does. Record it. Extract it. Modernize it.

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