The following code shows how to mark active item in nav tab.
<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet"
href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.2.0/css/bootstrap.min.css">
</head><!--from ww w . j a v a2s .c o m-->
<body style='margin:30px'>
<ul class="nav nav-tabs nav-stacked">
<li class="active"><a href="#">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Profile</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Messages</a></li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>