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**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [March 25, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-with-css-in-application-html-erb/132816 "2008-03-25T00:37:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1
**Author:**  [@captaffy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/captaffy)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-with-css-in-application-html-erb/132816/1 "2008-03-25T00:37:54Z")
I have this code in application.html.erb:
- \<%= link\_to \_(' **Repair tickets**'), repair\_tickets\_path%\>
- \<%= link\_to \_(' **Incidences**'), incidences\_path%\>
- \<%= link\_to \_(' **Tickets**'), tickets\_path%\>
- \<%= link\_to \_(' **Clients**'), clients\_path%\>
- \<%= link\_to \_(' **Products**'), products\_path %\>
I want that once I have pressed the Incidences link, the li class
becomes
- , meanwhile the li class from Repair
tickets becomes
- . How can I do that?
---
**Author:**  [@captaffy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/captaffy)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-with-css-in-application-html-erb/132816/2 "2008-03-25T01:01:00Z")
John S. wrote:
> I have this code in application.html.erb:
>
> - \<%= link\_to \_(' **Repair tickets**'), repair\_tickets\_path%\>
> - \<%= link\_to \_(' **Incidences**'), incidences\_path%\>
> - \<%= link\_to \_(' **Tickets**'), tickets\_path%\>
> - \<%= link\_to \_(' **Clients**'), clients\_path%\>
> - \<%= link\_to \_(' **Products**'), products\_path %\>
>
> I want that once I have pressed the Incidences link, the li class
> becomes
>
> - , meanwhile the li class from Repair
> tickets becomes
> - . How can I do that?
I’m going to assume you’re using Prototype. If not, I’m sure there is a
JQuery equivalent.
Look up addClassName and removeClassName. You will need to create an
onclick event handler. I’d probably give each LI an id and pass that
into a function, but you could do it in the inline onclick handler if
you really wanted to. It certainly wouldn’t be DRY.
Peace,
Phillip
---
**Author:**  [@captaffy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/captaffy)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-with-css-in-application-html-erb/132816/3 "2008-03-25T01:09:04Z")
The way i’ve always done this is to set a global variable to some
value, and check for this in the view. It is messy though so i’m
interested to hear any better solutions.
example of what i do:
== controller ==
def some\_action
@active\_menu\_item = “products”
end
== view ==
- ...
You could clean this up my making a helper method for the view, and a
before filter in your products controller that sets the active menu
item, but this is the only solution I’ve managed to find.
On Mar 25, 12:37 pm, John S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)
---
**Author:**  [@captaffy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/captaffy)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-with-css-in-application-html-erb/132816/4 "2008-03-25T17:33:59Z")
I wonder if link\_to\_unless\_current might work elegantly for you:
[http://api.rubyonrails.com/classes/ActionView/Helpers/UrlHelper.html#M000915](http://api.rubyonrails.com/classes/ActionView/Helpers/UrlHelper.html#M000915)
You could use CSS to make the plain text in your list correspond to
your current “current” style.
-Kyle
---
**Author:**  [@captaffy](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/captaffy)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/help-with-css-in-application-html-erb/132816/5 "2008-03-25T20:20:42Z")
Hey that’s cool! You also just made me realise that link\_to\_unless
would work quite nicely in different situations as well! 🙂
On Wed, Mar 26, 2008 at 5:33 AM, Kyle [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> > def some\_action
> > before filter in your products controller that sets the active menu
> >
> > > ```
> > > <%= link_to _('Tickets'), tickets_path%>
> > >
> > > ```
–
Jonathan