Why Use Lasso?

If you would like your web site to adjust to the visitor, or collect information, or provide password protection to certain pages, you probably need to have a database lurking behind the site. Just about every successful web site is driven by information and rules stored in a database. Until the last couple of years, this kind of sophistication was available only to large organizations with equally large development budgets. Now, these tools are easily within reach of small and mid-size organizations, as well as non-profit agencies.

The key element in connecting databases to web sites is the scripting language. Some common examples of this kind of scripting tool are PHP, and ColdFusion. I use Lasso, developed by LassoSoft. Lasso runs on several platforms, including Mac OSX, Windows, and Linux running either Apache or WebSTAR. It supports and works with a number of different database programs, including FileMakerPro and MySQL. Those who have followed the progress of FileMaker over the years will note that FileMaker has a built-in web connection language called CDML. CDML's origins trace back to an early version of Lasso. In the last five or so years Lasso has continued to grow and improve, while CDML has stayed pretty much the same.

First and foremost Lasso Professional works to connect databases to web pages. In addition, it offers a powerful scripting language which allows me and other Lasso developers to create dynamic, flexible web sites, independent of database options.

Here is just a quick sample of functions that we can add to your web site, using Lasso and a supporting database:

• Create a members-only portion of a web site, with individual passwords
• Events calendars where a staff member (not a webmaster) can add, update, and delete events
• Photograph gallery, with photos uploaded easily through web pages
• eCommerce / shopping cart solutions
• Content management - trusted users add information to web sites without waiting for a webmaster to make the changes
• Surveys
• Rotating content - fresh photos or news items each time a page is loaded
• Club support services, including member profiles, rosters, calendars, broadcast email, dues payment, and more
• Professional cooperatives, with individually tailored pages and content, updated using simple web forms