Flash/XML doesn't update on Website?

Question

Please help!
I'm working on a school website and have a 'Stop Press' panel
on the home page which is used for breaking news e.g. School Closed
Due to Snow....
The home.htm file contains a flash insert to do the animation
which in-turn is supplied with the news announcements from an XML
file. The administrator updates the news in the XML and then
uploads to the site.
Now the problem...
Whereas all htm files uploaded to the web server usually take
effect immediately, the XML doesn't. Users of the web site report
all sorts of delays in seeing the new information. I can see from
my FTP program (Dreamweaver) that the xml is PUT onto the site but
it has an erratic delay (sometimes hours!) in getting into the
Flash program?
Strange - How can my Browser (IE7) affect the web server
file?
I find that if I open the XML file on the web server (by
writing it's address directly into the browser address bar), I see
the OLD version of the XML.
However, if I then click my browser REFRESH button, the XML
file on the server updates and is then available to the flash
program on the home page and all is well (at least in my browser)??
Yours, confused Dave

Answer 1

Feldkircher ,
Thanks again for the link to the answer. A great Blog site!
For information:
The problem is with browsers not refreshing external files
when you think they should be.
I overcame the problem by changing the code in my swf
FROM:
xml.load("stoppress.xml");
TO:
xml.load("stoppress.xml?ver=" + Math.floor(Math.random() *
999));
This forces the browser to reload the XML file every time it
comes across the instruction, even if the XML hasn't been updated.
This is acttually inside a loop so it means that it's like a
real-time update.
Check out david stiller's blog site for instructions on how
to force the htm file to reload.
regards
Dave