Why my page can't be refreshed?

Anon

I didn't have any difficulties in loading a page after database operations when the site was being tested within our local network. But since it has been published, everytime when i updated database and redirected to a new page with header() funciton, the new page doesn't contain the updated info. I have to hit reload button from menu bar to bring up the updated info.
Can anybody tell me it's the script problem, server configuration problem or anything else?
Thanks in advanced.

Anon

Sounds like the web server or web browser is caching the page you want to display.

I don't remember (somebody help me) but there is an META that forces a browser refresh on page load.

I will look at work tomorrow for you unless someone else comes up with the answer.

Good Luck

Anon

Not sure what the problem is but you can fix it by tacking on a unix timestamp to the end of your url like so:
header("Location: http://www.somepage.com/index.html?time=".time());

Anon

Can you please explain to me why that works, it sounds a bit strange ?

Anon

It's a cheap (and perhaps effective) way to make the url
look different each time it's loaded so that caches and
proxies between me and thee don't try to cache it.

Anon

What do you mean when you refer to it being a "cheap" way. It is a painless way and it works great. Sleepy, it adds a variable named time to the end of your url which hols the value of the current unix time which will never be the same so your browser wilkl never have that exact url cached.

Anon

But cheap is a good way of describing it, it's small and it doesn't cost much (in cpu time or URL real estate.) But if you'd rather it be called inexpensive, we'll understand... :⁾

Anon

ok, thanks, now afterwars it seems like a stupid question, that was almost obvious...=)

Anon

What Scott said, but also: it's quick and easy for the programmer
to apply, rather than spending time trying to fix the underlying
problem (why is the proxy/cache server/web server/user's browser/??)
not handling caching properly when it sees a dynamically generated
page. This real fix, after all, might be completely inaccessible
depending on who's hosting the site.

'Cheap' was also meant to imply quick & dirty & less-than-ideal, since
ideally the programmer shouldn't have to worry about this...

Anon

Well in an ideal world all browsers would act the same, and unless you can give me a better way to accomplish this and make it foolproof for every browser, iwould refrain from calling it less than ideal