Clear Cache

Sometimes you edit or move a page and yet your changes do not appear to take effect. This is usually an effect of 'caching' and there are different causes.

GP-UK.net Cache

If your changes do not seem to occur when you save them, then 'Clear the Cache'.

There is a utility linked at the top-right of the editing entry screen which enables you to clear the cache.  Click the orange 'lightning' icon:

Then click the button which appears, labelled 'Clear all caches'':

Then review your page changes to see if they are now displaying properly.

Hard Disk Cache

Your browser keeps a cache of recently visited pages and tends to show the the old copy instead of fetching a fresh version, so as to save network traffic.

1. You should clear your browser cache frequently when developing your pages. How you do this depends on your browser. e.g. for Internet Explorer you go to Tools / Internet Options / General / Delete Files.
2. Reload pages (e.g. Internet Explorer use F5 key) instead of using the back button.

ISP Cache

Not infrequently the cache of your internet provider (including NHS net network) can become stuck. Even though your page has changed the ISP keeps sending to you an old copy of it which they have cached. This is intended to reduce traffic on their network, but is not very helpful when you are trying to view an updated page.

There is not a lot you can do about this, except wait and try again later, but there is one trick which sometime works. You add a 'query string' to the end of the address of the page. Your isp should think that this is a new page and so fetch the latest version from your website:

• If the address in your browser is in the form
• www.oursurgery.nhs.uk/1066.html  then try loading
• www.oursurgery.nhs.uk/1066.html?myname=fredbloggs
• If the address in your browser is in the form
• www.oursurgery.nhs.uk/index.php?id=1066 then try loading
• www.oursurgery.nhs.uk/index.php?id=1066&myname=fredbloggs

i.e. if the address doesn't already have a querystring (e.g. id=something) on the end of it, then add one, starting with a question mark ? followed by any two words separted by an equals sign (no spaces), and if it does have one (e.g. id=1066) then add another starting with an ampersand & and then two words separated by an equals sign (no spaces).

You can choose any two words you like, they don't have to be anything to do with names or fredbloggs!