diff --git a/src/helma/scripting/fesi/ESNode.java b/src/helma/scripting/fesi/ESNode.java
index b5cb769b..0f65ebbf 100644
--- a/src/helma/scripting/fesi/ESNode.java
+++ b/src/helma/scripting/fesi/ESNode.java
@@ -189,6 +189,36 @@ public class ESNode extends ObjectPrototype {
         return -1;
     }
 
+   /**
+    *  Prefetch child objects from (relational) database.
+    */
+    public void prefetchChildren (ESValue args[]) throws Exception {
+        checkNode ();
+        if (!(node instanceof Node))
+            return;
+        int start = 0, length = 0;
+        try {
+            if (args.length == 0) {
+                start = 0;
+                length = 1000;
+            } else if (args.length == 2) {
+                if (args[0].isNumberValue ())
+                   start = args[0].toInt32 ();
+                else
+                   throw new RuntimeException ("Illegal argument in prefetchChildren: "+args[0]);
+                if (args[1].isNumberValue ())
+                   length = args[1].toInt32 ();
+                else
+                   throw new RuntimeException ("Illegal argument in prefetchChildren: "+args[1]);
+            } else {
+                throw new RuntimeException ("Wrong number of arguments in prefetchChildren");
+            }
+        } catch (Exception x) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException (x.getMessage());
+        }
+        ((Node) node).prefetchChildren (start, length);
+    }
+
    /**
     *  This used to be different from add(), it isn't anymore. It's left here for
     *  compatibility.
diff --git a/src/helma/scripting/fesi/HopExtension.java b/src/helma/scripting/fesi/HopExtension.java
index 18bb4620..0ad21fac 100644
--- a/src/helma/scripting/fesi/HopExtension.java
+++ b/src/helma/scripting/fesi/HopExtension.java
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ public final class HopExtension {
         esNodePrototype.putHiddenProperty ("href", new NodeHref ("href", evaluator, fp));
         esNodePrototype.putHiddenProperty ("setParent", new NodeSetParent ("setParent", evaluator, fp));
         esNodePrototype.putHiddenProperty ("invalidate", new NodeInvalidate ("invalidate", evaluator, fp));
+        esNodePrototype.putHiddenProperty ("prefetchChildren", new NodePrefetch ("prefetchChildren", evaluator, fp));
         esNodePrototype.putHiddenProperty ("renderSkin", new RenderSkin ("renderSkin", evaluator, fp, false, false));
         esNodePrototype.putHiddenProperty ("renderSkinAsString", new RenderSkin ("renderSkinAsString", evaluator, fp, false, true));
         esNodePrototype.putHiddenProperty ("clearCache", new NodeClearCache ("clearCache", evaluator, fp));
@@ -244,6 +245,24 @@ public final class HopExtension {
         }
     }
 
+    
+    class NodePrefetch extends BuiltinFunctionObject {
+        NodePrefetch (String name, Evaluator evaluator, FunctionPrototype fp) {
+            super (fp, evaluator, name, 0);
+        }
+        public ESValue callFunction (ESObject thisObject, ESValue[] arguments) throws EcmaScriptException {
+            try {
+                ESNode esn = (ESNode) thisObject;
+                esn.prefetchChildren (arguments);
+            } catch (IllegalArgumentException illarg) {
+                throw illarg;
+            } catch (Exception x) {
+                // swallow exceptions in prefetchChildren
+            }
+            return ESNull.theNull;
+        }
+    }
+
 
     class NodeEditor extends BuiltinFunctionObject {
 
@@ -718,6 +737,7 @@ public final class HopExtension {
             String tmpname = arguments.length == 0 ? "" : arguments[0].toString ();
             String basicHref =app.getNodeHref (elem, tmpname);
             String hrefSkin = app.getProperty ("hrefSkin", null);
+                
             // FIXME: we should actually walk down the path from the object we called href() on
             // instead we move down the URL path.
             if (hrefSkin != null) {
@@ -725,10 +745,19 @@ public final class HopExtension {
                 // first, look in the object href was called on.
                 Object skinElem = elem;
                 Skin skin = null;
+                // ResponseTrans res = fesi.getResponse();
+                // Object[] skinpath = res.getSkinpath ();
                 while (skin == null && skinElem != null) {
                     Prototype proto = app.getPrototype (skinElem);
-                    if (proto != null)
+                    if (proto != null) {
                         skin = proto.getSkin (hrefSkin);
+                        /* String skinid = proto.getName()+"/"+hrefSkin;
+                        skin = res.getCachedSkin (skinid);
+                         if (skin == null) {
+                            skin = app.getSkin (skinElem, hrefSkin, skinpath);
+                            res.cacheSkin (skinid, skin);
+                        } */
+                    }
                     if (skin == null)
                         skinElem = app.getParentElement (skinElem);
                 }