# Win-Explorer Style Navigation Tree with dynamic loading

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/win-explorer-style-navigation-tree-with-dynamic-loading/110225>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [July 24, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/win-explorer-style-navigation-tree-with-dynamic-loading/110225 "2007-07-24T13:44:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Pascal\_F](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Pascal\_F](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Pascal_F)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/win-explorer-style-navigation-tree-with-dynamic-loading/110225/1 "2007-07-24T13:44:53Z")

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Hi There,

i want to create a windows explorer style navigation tree in my  
application  
with tree branches you can expand and colapse. The nodes in the first  
two levels of the tree shall be loaded when the tree is displayed  
initialy.  
The levels 3-x schall be loaded when the parent node is beeing  
expanded.  
(because loading the whole data for the tree takes about 30 seconds  
now.  
I’ve tested it by creating a simple unsorted html list. maybe  
has\_many :contracts, :include =\> evaluations isnt the best / fastest  
way  
to do this?)

so my questions are. is there a way to create such a tree with rails /  
prototype / [script.aculo.us](http://script.aculo.us)  
build in features? (an not-too-complicated way, i know “somebody”  
could  
write the whole js for such a tree by himself with prototype and so  
on, but i cant 🙂 )

acts\_as\_tree, as far as i see, is just a way to “manage” the hirarchy  
of  
a “tree-like” structure, isn’t it?

i’am sorry if i cant explain it better because my english is, uhm, low  
level 🙂

greetings,

Pascal