Lasso is incredibly extensible for your own clients projects, and by default works on any post, page, or custom post type. Alternatively, by specifying a CSS class of the container where Lasso should work, it means you can use it pretty much anywhere.

How it Works

Lasso manipulates your post content directly. We don’t add additional markup or additional divs, and if you were to view the source you’d notice that it’s clean as a whistle. We’re using an HTML5 feature called contenteditable. This allows users to type directly into any div with that attribute, which means a live and direct manipulation of the HTML. This has its pros and cons. The best part is that it’s a true 1:1 match of the final product, and not a representation. 

The only caveat is that if there are additional HTML elements in the post container, it will save those as HTML as well. Most themes have a dedicated content container, so this shouldn’t be an issue. And, if it is an issue with a theme, it’s easy to get compatible with Lasso.

Think of Lasso as part text-editor, part story builder. If you were to activate Lasso without Aesop Story Engine, it’s just a text editor. The drag and drop capabilities are there, but without any components to drag around, it won’t be much fun. For this reason, we utilize Aesop Story Engine and its story components. These components and their settings are adjusted in realtime, so what you see, is what you get.

How it Saves

Lasso saves directly into the_content, and into the database, which makes us (one of the only) true post builders for WordPress. Pages are handled the same way. We do not store content into meta tables because they do not scale.

The logic for saving to the database can be turned off. With this method, Lasso becomes an HTML page builder. When we add import and export features, you’ll be able to export pure HTML pages for use in your other projects. Additionally, you can hook into the save process itself. This means that you could use Lasso on a custom field and save that data to wherever you want.

[aesop_image lightbox=”off” captionposition=”left” caption=”Hook into the save process and decide where the content should be saved. You’re in complete control here.” align=”center” imgwidth=”670px” img=”https://lasso.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Image-2015-03-13-at-8.19.00-AM.png”]

The minute you start typing into Lasso, we save a backup in your browser. So, if you try to navigate away, you’ll get warned so your content won’t be toasted. We’ve got bigger plans for this as time moves on, but we’re eager to get feedback from you first, then iterate.

Hooks, Actions, and the Future

From the start Lasso was engineered with you in mind. On the outside, it’s an easy to use front-end editor and builder that will make your clients lives easier. On the inside, is one powerful front-end editing framework, that you can use in whatever situation that you can dream up. The use cases and it’s feature set are endless, so we’ll leave you with an exhaustive list of things you can do with filters and actions, and what you’ll be able to in the future as our user base grows.

• GPL licensed
• add new custom components while removing all ASE components
• use as a page builder or on custom layouts
• restrict capabilities
• use on iPhone including drag and drop (alpha)
• filter where the content is saved and use on custom fields
• build a set of “business components” for landing pages
• multisite compatible
• HHVM compatible (our site runs on HHVM)
• built-in “agency mode” that white-labels the plugin for your clients
• transforms short-codes to HTML on uninstall (coming soon)
• saves layouts as HTML (coming soon)
• component pack add-ons for niche areas (coming soon)
• tricked out revisions system (coming soon)

We’re really excited to save you some time, and we can’t wait to see what you guys do with this!