Cache problems with scrolling banner images

The following applies especially to Google Chrome users who have visited the Banner Images page before the completion of a major restructure that finished on 14/06/2012 (ie all visits made between 12/04/2011 and 14/06/2012). Internet Explorer users are unaffected. Periodic updates to the banner system after 14/06/2012 should not give any further problems to Chrome users.

If the first image on the Banner Images page is not being displayed as the first image on the scrolling banner or the subsequent pictures and text make no sense then your browser has not refreshed its cache.

There are two steps you should take to cure this. First try a Refresh of the browser and, if this doesn't work then clear the browser Cache.

The Refresh button on Chrome is the little circular button to the left of the site address in the top tool bar. Chrome users should now go to the Banner Images page and click their browser Refresh. The page and its images should then update from the site in a few seconds. If this works then that is all you need to do.

But it may be necessary to go further and clear the Cache. Hopefully unlikely but here is the full rubric just in case.

Browser Refresh and Cache clearance

Sometimes your browser will refuse to let go of information it holds even though you know more up-to-date material has been added to the web site.

The held information is kept in a place called the browser cache. The cache is there to obviate the need for the browser to visit the web site itself every time you go back to a site page you have visited before.

Browsers are supposed to be intelligent enough to realise when they should refresh their cache - that is to replace everything in it with up-to-date information from the web site. But they can be slow to do this.

Some encouragement can be given if you use the Refresh button (in Google Chrome its a small circular icon with arrow head just to the left of the address window). Go to the page you suspect being out-of-date and click the Refresh button once or twice and see if it makes any difference.

If there is no change then you will either have to live with some out-of-date information from the web site or clear the cache.

But first wait a day or two and the cache will more than likely clear itself automatically - all operating systems and internet browsers tested so far have cleared their cache eventually and some certainly take their time.

But in the unlikely event of the cache still being "stuck" you can proceed to clear the Cache as described below. The procedure is for Google Chrome:

• Find the spanner icon in the top bar at the extreme right. Click on it
• Go down to Tools on the drop down list and hover over it. When a side panel opens up slide across to Clear Browsing Data
• Take the options offered and click the Clear Browsing Data button at the bottom of the panel
• Or, you can use Ctrl+Shift+Delete key strokes to shortcut much of the above procedure. Hold the Ctrl and Shift keys down together and then press the Delete key without letting them go. You will then be in the Clear Browsing Data panel

Other browsers are similar. All offer a clear cache button but on some that is all you will be given. 

Finding the cache button is sometimes a bit fiddly. Have a look at your browser help file or try Googling "clear cache XXX" where XXX is the browser name (IE, Chrome, etc etc). And, by the way, don't forget to leave off the quotes in the Google search or you will be looking for an exact match of the search phrase.