Index: typo3/class.db_list.inc
===================================================================
--- typo3/class.db_list.inc	(revision 4815)
+++ typo3/class.db_list.inc	(working copy)
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@
 	var $pageRecord = array();		// Loaded with page record with version overlay if any.
 	var $hideTables = '';			// Tables which should not get listed
 	var $tableTSconfigOverTCA = array(); //TSconfig which overwrites TCA-Settings
+	var $tablesCollapsed = array(); // Array of collapsed / uncollapsed tables in multi table view
 
 		// Internal, dynamic:
 	var $JScode = '';				// JavaScript code accumulation
@@ -189,6 +190,20 @@
 			}
 		}
 
+		// Get configuration of collapsed tables from user uc and merge with sanitized GP vars
+		$this->tablesCollapsed = is_array($GLOBALS['BE_USER']->uc['moduleData']['db_list.php']) ? $GLOBALS['BE_USER']->uc['moduleData']['db_list.php'] : array();
+		$collapseOverride = t3lib_div::_GP('collapse');
+		if (is_array($collapseOverride)) {
+			foreach($collapseOverride as $collapseTable => $collapseValue) {
+				if (is_array($GLOBALS['TCA'][$collapseTable]) && ($collapseValue == 0 || $collapseValue == 1)) {
+					$this->tablesCollapsed[$collapseTable] = $collapseValue;
+				}
+			}
+			// Save modified user uc
+			$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->uc['moduleData']['db_list.php'] = $this->tablesCollapsed;
+			$GLOBALS['BE_USER']->writeUC($GLOBALS['BE_USER']->uc);
+		}
+
 		if ($sL>0)	{
 			$tree = $this->getTreeObject($id,$sL,$this->perms_clause);
 			$this->pidSelect = 'pid IN ('.implode(',',$tree->ids).')';
@@ -786,4 +801,4 @@
 	include_once($TYPO3_CONF_VARS[TYPO3_MODE]['XCLASS']['typo3/class.db_list.inc']);
 }
 
-?>
\ No newline at end of file
+?>
Index: typo3/stylesheet.css
===================================================================
--- typo3/stylesheet.css	(revision 4815)
+++ typo3/stylesheet.css	(working copy)
@@ -1823,11 +1823,15 @@
 	width: 40px;
 }
 
-table.typo3-dblist tr td.col-icon a {
+table.typo3-dblist tr td.col-icon span {
 	width: 40px;
 	display: block;
 }
 
+table.typo3-dblist tr td.col-icon img.collapseIcon {
+	margin: 0px 8px 0px 2px;
+}
+
 table.typo3-dblist tr td.col-title {
 	width: 240px;
 	overflow: hidden;
Index: typo3/sysext/t3skin/stylesheets/typo3-db-list-php.css
===================================================================
--- typo3/sysext/t3skin/stylesheets/typo3-db-list-php.css	(revision 4815)
+++ typo3/sysext/t3skin/stylesheets/typo3-db-list-php.css	(working copy)
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@
 	background-color: transparent;
 }
 
+table.typo3-dblist tr td.col-icon img.collapseIcon {
+	margin: 3px 8px 0px 2px;
+}
+
 tr.firstcol td.col-control,
 tr.firstcol td.col-clipboard {
 	border-top: 1px solid #d7d8e2;
Index: typo3/sysext/lang/locallang_core.xml
===================================================================
--- typo3/sysext/lang/locallang_core.xml	(revision 4815)
+++ typo3/sysext/lang/locallang_core.xml	(working copy)
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 			<label index="labels.path">Path</label>
 			<label index="labels.table">Table</label>
 			<label index="labels.upOneLevel">Up one level</label>
+			<label index="labels.expandTable">Expand table</label>
+			<label index="labels.collapseTable">Collapse table</label>
 			<label index="labels.enterSearchString">Search String:</label>
 			<label index="labels.enterSearchLevels">This page|1 level down|2 levels down|3 levels down|4 levels down</label>
 			<label index="labels.noEditPermission">Sorry, you didn't have proper permissions to perform this change.</label>
Index: typo3/class.db_list_extra.inc
===================================================================
--- typo3/class.db_list_extra.inc	(revision 4815)
+++ typo3/class.db_list_extra.inc	(working copy)
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@
 		$titleCol = $TCA[$table]['ctrl']['label'];
 		$thumbsCol = $TCA[$table]['ctrl']['thumbnail'];
 		$l10nEnabled = $TCA[$table]['ctrl']['languageField'] && $TCA[$table]['ctrl']['transOrigPointerField'] && !$TCA[$table]['ctrl']['transOrigPointerTable'];
+		$tableCollapsed = (!$this->tablesCollapsed[$table]) ? FALSE : TRUE;
 
 			// prepare space icon
 		$iconWidth  = $GLOBALS['TBE_STYLES']['skinImgAutoCfg']['iconSizeWidth']  ? $GLOBALS['TBE_STYLES']['skinImgAutoCfg']['iconSizeWidth']  : 12;
@@ -393,7 +394,8 @@
 
 			// If the count query returned any number of records, we perform the real query, selecting records.
 		if ($this->totalItems)	{
-			if ($listOnlyInSingleTableMode)	{
+			// Fetch records only if not in single table mode or if in multi table mode and not collapsed
+			if ($listOnlyInSingleTableMode || (!$this->table && $tableCollapsed)) {
 				$dbCount = $this->totalItems;
 			} else {
 					// set the showLimit to the number of records when outputting as CSV
@@ -448,11 +450,18 @@
 					}
 				}
 			} else {
+				// Render collapse button if in multi table mode
+				$collapseIcon = '';
+				if (!$this->table) {
+					$collapseIcon = '<a href="' . htmlspecialchars($this->listURL()) . '&collapse[' . $table . ']=' . ($tableCollapsed ? '0' : '1') . '"><img' . t3lib_iconWorks::skinImg($this->backPath,'gfx/select' . ($tableCollapsed ? 'all' : 'none') . '.gif') . ' class="collapseIcon" "alt="" title="' . ($tableCollapsed ? $GLOBALS['LANG']->sL('LLL:EXT:lang/locallang_core.php:labels.expandTable',1) : $GLOBALS['LANG']->sL('LLL:EXT:lang/locallang_core.php:labels.collapseTable',1)) . '" /></a>';
+				}
+				// Render page up icon for page table
 				$theUpIcon = ($table=='pages'&&$this->id&&isset($this->pageRow['pid'])) ? '<a href="'.htmlspecialchars($this->listURL($this->pageRow['pid'])).'" onclick="setHighlight('.$this->pageRow['pid'].')"><img'.t3lib_iconWorks::skinImg($this->backPath,'gfx/i/pages_up.gif','width="18" height="16"').' title="'.$GLOBALS['LANG']->sL('LLL:EXT:lang/locallang_core.php:labels.upOneLevel',1).'" alt="" /></a>':'';
-				$out.=$this->addelement(1,$theUpIcon,$theData,' class="c-headLineTable"','');
+				$out .= $this->addelement(1, '<span>' . $collapseIcon . $theUpIcon . '</span>', $theData, ' class="c-headLineTable"', '');
 			}
 
-			If (!$listOnlyInSingleTableMode)	{
+			// Render table rows only if in multi table view and not collapsed or if in single table view
+			if (!$listOnlyInSingleTableMode && (!$tableCollapsed || $this->table)) {
 					// Fixing a order table for sortby tables
 				$this->currentTable = array();
 				$currentIdList = array();
@@ -1574,4 +1583,4 @@
 	include_once($TYPO3_CONF_VARS[TYPO3_MODE]['XCLASS']['typo3/class.db_list_extra.inc']);
 }
 
-?>
\ No newline at end of file
+?>