Can I force the client to stop caching old stylesheets and javascript?

[mark4asp]

Can I force the client to stop caching old stylesheets and javascript?

In my dynamic web-site, I need to force the client to stop caching old
versions of my stylesheets and javascript. Can I do this by including
a querystring with the url with each external stylesheet and script
file declaration?

For example:

<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="../images/menu.css?
v=1" />
<script type="text/javascript" src="../javascript/menu.js?v=1"></
script>

This is far easier, for me, than coding the web-server to change the
file headers. I just want confirmation that this will work. It seems
obvious that it should but I'm curious as to why I've never come
across this technique before.

[Rik Wasmus]

On Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:50:41 +0200, mark4asp <ma******@gmail.comwrote:

Can I force the client to stop caching old stylesheets and javascript?

In my dynamic web-site, I need to force the client to stop caching old
versions of my stylesheets and javascript. Can I do this by including
a querystring with the url with each external stylesheet and script
file declaration?

For example:

<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="../images/menu.css?
v=1" />
<script type="text/javascript" src="../javascript/menu.js?v=1"></
script>

This is far easier, for me, than coding the web-server to change the
file headers.

Shouldn't be...

I just want confirmation that this will work. It seems
obvious that it should but I'm curious as to why I've never come
across this technique before.

It works (well, as long as you keep changing the query string), and is
widely in use.
--
Rik Wasmus

[André Gillibert]

mark4asp wrote:

Can I force the client to stop caching old stylesheets and javascript?

In my dynamic web-site, I need to force the client to stop caching old
versions of my stylesheets and javascript. Can I do this by including
a querystring with the url with each external stylesheet and script
file declaration?

Yes, but that's evil. Fortunately, you may be punished by a low google
rank! Crawlers assume that a URI uniquely identifies a resource.

Use the HTTP headers (e.g. set expiration to zero second). If the page is
generated by a script or contains SSI, your server should use the correct
headers by default.
If the page is static, then, why preventing caching? To improve the page
hits statistics? That would be stupid and evil.
What is it for?

I just want confirmation that this will work.

It will work as using pseudonyms to commit evil deeds reduces the chance
of being identified.

It seems obvious that it should but I'm curious as to why I've never come
across this technique before.

Because, modifying HTTP headers is much nicer, much more civilized, and
much more natural. It's the direct, obvious, fine, standardized way to
control caching. Your way, is worse than failure:
http://worsethanfailure.com/Default.aspx
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