<ul><li data-ng-class="{'active': highlight('/orders')}"><a href="#/orders">Orders</a></li></ul> 

vm.highlight = funciton(path){return $locaiton.path().substr(0, path.lenght) === path;}

<ul menu-highlighter highlight-class-name="active"><li><a href="#/customers">Customers</a></li><li><a href="#/orders">Customers</a></li><li><a href="#/about">Customers</a></li></ul> 

(function(){var injectParams = ['$location'];var menuHighlighter = function($location){var link = function(scope, element){function setActive(){var path = $location.path();var className = scope.highlightClassName || 'active';if(path){angular.forEac(element.find('li'), function(li){//<a href="#/customers">Customers</a>var anchor = li.querySelector('a');//#/customersvar href=(anchor && anchor.href) ? anchor.href : anchor.getAttribute('data-href').replace('#','');//customersvar trimmedHref = href.substr(href.indexOf('#/')+1, href.length);var basePath = path.substr(0, trimmedHref.length);if(trimmedHref === basePath){angular.element(li).addClass(className);} else {angular.element(li).removeClass(className);}});} }setActive();scope.$on('$locationChangeSuccess', setActive);};return {restrict: 'A',scope: {highlightClassName: '@'},link: link}};menuHighlighter.$inject = injectParams;angular.module('my.directives').directive('menuHighlighter', menuHighlighter);}());