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**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [June 11, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-html-not-sortable/140165 "2008-06-11T14:44:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1
**Author:**  [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-html-not-sortable/140165/1 "2008-06-11T14:44:35Z")
Hi,
I’m using the rails sortable\_element helper on a list and after it has
been sorted I have used this code:
page[‘page\_’ + p.id.to\_s].replace :partial =\> ‘page’, :locals =\>
{ :page =\> p }
to replace the list items that changed order as the html has to
change.
The problem is that any of the list items that are ‘replaced’ are now
not sortable. Is this expected behavior and is there a fix or a
workaround?
thanks,
DAZ
---
**Author:**  [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-html-not-sortable/140165/2 "2008-06-11T19:54:29Z")
I’ve found a bit of a hack solution.
If I change replace to replace\_html, it works. I guess that this is
because the id is in the
- and if I use replace\_html, the original
- stays there. The problem with this approach is that the generated html is a bit rubbish - there will be a nested
- inside the original
- Is this acceptable or is there a better/correct way of doing this?
---
**Author:**  [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 11:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-html-not-sortable/140165/3 "2008-06-11T23:15:55Z")
my ‘hack’ doesn’t work too well, as it introduces loads of problems if
you then try to sort again as the array that is sent to the sort
action gets messed up…oh well, it seems that you can’t seem to do
any JS tricks with generated content.
DAZ
---
**Author:**  [@daz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/daz)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/generated-html-not-sortable/140165/4 "2008-06-12T05:23:37Z")
Hi DAZ,
DAZ wrote:
> my ‘hack’ doesn’t work too well, as it introduces loads
> of problems if you then try to sort again as the array that
> is sent to the sort action gets messed up…oh well, it
> seems that you can’t seem to do any JS tricks with
> generated content.
Have you tried just doing a replace\_html on the
or
surrounding
your - s? I’ve just been fighting with something that may be related.
Haven had enough time to isolate the problem further, but when I render
a
partial with an observe\_field in it 'normally, the shows up in
FireBug. When I render the same partial via RJS, it disappears. The
actions still fire, but I lose the debug ability I so\_much rely on with
FireBug.
HTH,
Bill