applicationController.js

CDFleet.applicationController = SC.Object.create(
/** @scope CDFleet.applicationController */ {

  startup: function () {
  	var main_menu = CDFleet.CDMainMenu.find('Main Menu'); // get object model data
  	var buttons = main_menu.get('buttons');
  	CDFleet.mainMenuController.set('content', buttons); // update content of main menu array controller
  	console.log(CDFleet.mainMenuController.toString(), CDFleet.mainMenuController.get('length')); // length is 10
  	SC.page.get('contentView').set('content', SC.page.get('desktopView'));
  }

}) ;

CDMainMenu.js

// ==========================================================================
// CDFleet.CDMainMenu
// ==========================================================================

require('core');

/** @class

  (Document your class here)

  @extends SC.Record
  @author AuthorName
  @version 0.1
*/
CDFleet.CDMainMenu = SC.Record.extend(
/** @scope CDFleet.CDMainMenu.prototype */ {

  dataSource: CDFleet.server,
  properties: ['name', 'children'],
  
  buttons: function () {
  	return this.get('children').toArray();
  }.property('children')

}) ;

CDMainMenuView.js

CDFleet.CDMainMenuView = SC.View.extend(
/** @scope CDFleet.CDMainMenuView.prototype */ {

  emptyElement: '<div></div>',
  
  // Properties
  content: [],
  contentBindingDefault: SC.Binding.MultipleNotEmpty,
  
  render: function() {
  	var html = [];
  	var content = this.get('content');
  	
  	console.log(content.toString(), content.get('length')); // length is 0
  	
  	// Iterate through the collection and add buttons
  	// html.push(this._renderPopupButtonHtml(content));
  	this.set('innerHTML', html);
  }.observes('content'),
  
  _renderPopupButtonHtml: function (content) {
  	var html = [];
  	
  	console.log('CDMainMenuView', content.length());
  	
  	return html.join('');
  }
  
}) ;

desktop.rhtml

<% view :desktop_view do %>

	<% view :header, :class => 'sc-header sc-square-theme' do %>
		<%= view :main_menu_view, :view => 'CDFleet.CDMainMenuView', :bind => { :content => 'CDFleet.mainMenuController.arrangedObjects' } %>
	<% end %> <!-- header -->

	<% view :workspace, :class => 'sc-app-workspace header' do %>
	                      
	<% end %>	<!-- workspace -->
	
	<% view :footer, :class => 'sc-footer sc-square-theme' do %>
	
	<% end %> <!-- footer -->
	
<% end %>

mainMenuController.js

CDFleet.mainMenuController = SC.ArrayController.create(
/** @scope CDFleet.mainMenuController */ {

  // TODO: Add your own code here.

}) ;