So you’re a wise and savvy modern human and you’ve discovered the benefits of Take Control Ebooks. You want to take advantage of “the extra features you won’t get from a normal book,” as one of their taglines goes. You click on the “updates” link within your ebook. You are taken to a web page.

This page must detect which version of which ebook you have, and indeed that you are actually coming from the link within the ebook. Then it must provide you with any free and/or paid updates as well as specially-priced bundles with other books.

It must also link to news items and errata pertinent to that version of that ebook, with the news items pertaining to a range of versions of the book but the errors appearing only for this particular version.

Implementing this functionality was the latest phase in the ongoing job of converting takecontrolbooks.com to the ExpressionEngine content management system. “Wonderful,” wrote co-manager Tonya Engst regarding the new system’s features.

Thanks again, Adam Engst and Tonya, for the opportunity to work on this site and the pleasure of viewing, if only from afar, your smooth operation. Next up for Take Control: account management.