Sheng Jiang is correct - you need the programmatically clear IE's cache. Here is sample code showing how to do this in c#:
http://www.gutgames.com/post/Clearing-the-Cache-of-a-WebBrowser-Control.aspx
Copy in case the page goes offline:
/**
* Modified from code originally found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326201
**/
#region Usings
using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
#endregion
namespace Utilities.Web.WebBrowserHelper
{
/// <summary>
/// Class for clearing the cache
/// </summary>
public static class WebBrowserHelper
{
#region Definitions/DLL Imports
/// <summary>
/// For PInvoke: Contains information about an entry in the Internet cache
/// </summary>
[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit, Size = 80)]
public struct INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA
{
[FieldOffset(0)]
public uint dwStructSize;
[FieldOffset(4)]
public IntPtr lpszSourceUrlName;
[FieldOffset(8)]
public IntPtr lpszLocalFileName;
[FieldOffset(12)]
public uint CacheEntryType;
[FieldOffset(16)]
public uint dwUseCount;
[FieldOffset(20)]
public uint dwHitRate;
[FieldOffset(24)]
public uint dwSizeLow;
[FieldOffset(28)]
public uint dwSizeHigh;
[FieldOffset(32)]
public System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComTypes.FILETIME LastModifiedTime;
[FieldOffset(40)]
public System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComTypes.FILETIME ExpireTime;
[FieldOffset(48)]
public System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComTypes.FILETIME LastAccessTime;
[FieldOffset(56)]
public System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComTypes.FILETIME LastSyncTime;
[FieldOffset(64)]
public IntPtr lpHeaderInfo;
[FieldOffset(68)]
public uint dwHeaderInfoSize;
[FieldOffset(72)]
public IntPtr lpszFileExtension;
[FieldOffset(76)]
public uint dwReserved;
[FieldOffset(76)]
public uint dwExemptDelta;
}
// For PInvoke: Initiates the enumeration of the cache groups in the Internet cache
[DllImport(@"wininet",
SetLastError = true,
CharSet = CharSet.Auto,
EntryPoint = "FindFirstUrlCacheGroup",
CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern IntPtr FindFirstUrlCacheGroup(
int dwFlags,
int dwFilter,
IntPtr lpSearchCondition,
int dwSearchCondition,
ref long lpGroupId,
IntPtr lpReserved);
// For PInvoke: Retrieves the next cache group in a cache group enumeration
[DllImport(@"wininet",
SetLastError = true,
CharSet = CharSet.Auto,
EntryPoint = "FindNextUrlCacheGroup",
CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool FindNextUrlCacheGroup(
IntPtr hFind,
ref long lpGroupId,
IntPtr lpReserved);
// For PInvoke: Releases the specified GROUPID and any associated state in the cache index file
[DllImport(@"wininet",
SetLastError = true,
CharSet = CharSet.Auto,
EntryPoint = "DeleteUrlCacheGroup",
CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool DeleteUrlCacheGroup(
long GroupId,
int dwFlags,
IntPtr lpReserved);
// For PInvoke: Begins the enumeration of the Internet cache
[DllImport(@"wininet",
SetLastError = true,
CharSet = CharSet.Auto,
EntryPoint = "FindFirstUrlCacheEntryA",
CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern IntPtr FindFirstUrlCacheEntry(
[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPTStr)] string lpszUrlSearchPattern,
IntPtr lpFirstCacheEntryInfo,
ref int lpdwFirstCacheEntryInfoBufferSize);
// For PInvoke: Retrieves the next entry in the Internet cache
[DllImport(@"wininet",
SetLastError = true,
CharSet = CharSet.Auto,
EntryPoint = "FindNextUrlCacheEntryA",
CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool FindNextUrlCacheEntry(
IntPtr hFind,
IntPtr lpNextCacheEntryInfo,
ref int lpdwNextCacheEntryInfoBufferSize);
// For PInvoke: Removes the file that is associated with the source name from the cache, if the file exists
[DllImport(@"wininet",
SetLastError = true,
CharSet = CharSet.Auto,
EntryPoint = "DeleteUrlCacheEntryA",
CallingConvention = CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern bool DeleteUrlCacheEntry(
IntPtr lpszUrlName);
#endregion
#region Public Static Functions
/// <summary>
/// Clears the cache of the web browser
/// </summary>
public static void ClearCache()
{
// Indicates that all of the cache groups in the user's system should be enumerated
const int CACHEGROUP_SEARCH_ALL = 0x0;
// Indicates that all the cache entries that are associated with the cache group
// should be deleted, unless the entry belongs to another cache group.
const int CACHEGROUP_FLAG_FLUSHURL_ONDELETE = 0x2;
// File not found.
const int ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND = 0x2;
// No more items have been found.
const int ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS = 259;
// Pointer to a GROUPID variable
long groupId = 0;
// Local variables
int cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial = 0;
int cacheEntryInfoBufferSize = 0;
IntPtr cacheEntryInfoBuffer = IntPtr.Zero;
INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA internetCacheEntry;
IntPtr enumHandle = IntPtr.Zero;
bool returnValue = false;
// Delete the groups first.
// Groups may not always exist on the system.
// For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
// http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/?url=/workshop/networking/wininet/overview/cache.asp
// By default, a URL does not belong to any group. Therefore, that cache may become
// empty even when the CacheGroup APIs are not used because the existing URL does not belong to any group.
enumHandle = FindFirstUrlCacheGroup(0, CACHEGROUP_SEARCH_ALL, IntPtr.Zero, 0, ref groupId, IntPtr.Zero);
// If there are no items in the Cache, you are finished.
if (enumHandle != IntPtr.Zero && ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error())
return;
// Loop through Cache Group, and then delete entries.
while (true)
{
if (ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error() || ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()) { break; }
// Delete a particular Cache Group.
returnValue = DeleteUrlCacheGroup(groupId, CACHEGROUP_FLAG_FLUSHURL_ONDELETE, IntPtr.Zero);
if (!returnValue && ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error())
{
returnValue = FindNextUrlCacheGroup(enumHandle, ref groupId, IntPtr.Zero);
}
if (!returnValue && (ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error() || ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()))
break;
}
// Start to delete URLs that do not belong to any group.
enumHandle = FindFirstUrlCacheEntry(null, IntPtr.Zero, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);
if (enumHandle != IntPtr.Zero && ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error())
return;
cacheEntryInfoBufferSize = cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial;
cacheEntryInfoBuffer = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(cacheEntryInfoBufferSize);
enumHandle = FindFirstUrlCacheEntry(null, cacheEntryInfoBuffer, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);
while (true)
{
internetCacheEntry = (INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA)Marshal.PtrToStructure(cacheEntryInfoBuffer, typeof(INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA));
if (ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error()) { break; }
cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial = cacheEntryInfoBufferSize;
returnValue = DeleteUrlCacheEntry(internetCacheEntry.lpszSourceUrlName);
if (!returnValue)
{
returnValue = FindNextUrlCacheEntry(enumHandle, cacheEntryInfoBuffer, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);
}
if (!returnValue && ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS == Marshal.GetLastWin32Error())
{
break;
}
if (!returnValue && cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial > cacheEntryInfoBufferSize)
{
cacheEntryInfoBufferSize = cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial;
cacheEntryInfoBuffer = Marshal.ReAllocHGlobal(cacheEntryInfoBuffer, (IntPtr)cacheEntryInfoBufferSize);
returnValue = FindNextUrlCacheEntry(enumHandle, cacheEntryInfoBuffer, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);
}
}
Marshal.FreeHGlobal(cacheEntryInfoBuffer);
}
#endregion
}
}
It is based heavily on the Microsoft KB article here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326201
And to pre-empt the question - yes this is a huge pain in the neck, and no, there isn't another way around it. Good luck!
