web page not updating in safari

Question

Level 1

4 points

web page not updating in safari

I have a chart (jpg) on a webpage. The chart gets updated on a regular basis. Safari will see the chart when I bring up that webpage. But when the chart is updated safari does not see the new chart, even when I hit cmd-R to refresh.

Using FileZilla, I can see the file on the webpage. The date/time changes when the file is updated. The current (updated) file shows when I use view in FileZilla so I know the file is really on the webpage. If I use Chrome, the chart isn't updated automatically but cmd-R will show the new chart.

If I look at safari, I can click cmd-R all day and nothing changes. But if I switch to Chrome and click cmd-R the chart updates. Then when I go back to safari cmd-R will update the chart. Once. To see the next update I have to refresh in Chrome then go back to safari and refresh.

I have tried to clear the cache. I have restarted the MacBook and the iPhone. There was a suggestion to use private browsing but that is greyed out in my safari.

The iPhone is different. Refresh in Chrome does nothing. Refresh in Chrome on the MacBook refreshes, then the new chart shows on the iPhone.

Is there a way to get safari to update on both platforms or do I have to switch to Chrome?

iPhone 15 Pro Max, iOS 18

Posted on Jan 21, 2025 12:12 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 21, 2025 8:06 PM in response to vegfarmer

Modern web caching behavior is a complex topic and beyond the scope of what can be covered here. I can offer the simpliest of solutions that may work depending on if you have access to the underlying HTML of the webpage. If you do have access to the HTML of the page, try adding the following lines within the <head> of the HTML document:

<head>
<meta http-equiv="Cache-Control" content="no-cache">
<meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache">
</head>

These statements should help inform browsers to not cache the web page locally. Therefore, they should fetch a new image with each page load.

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Answer 2

vegfarmer Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 22, 2025 5:05 AM in response to FishingAddict

Thanks. I am not now sure that caching was the problem. I turned off 'content and privacy restrictions' and it seems to be working properly now. I will add that code to the website just in case. It will take a few days to try things out to see if it keeps working.

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