WebBrowser control caching issue

Question

I am using the WebBrowser control inside a Windows Form to display a PDF.

Whenever the PDF is regenerated, however, the WebBrowser control only displays its local cached version and not the updated version from the server.

I am using the Refresh() method shown below to try and force the control to reload the PDF, but it doesn't work:

_webBrowser.Navigate(pdfUrl);

_webBrowser.Refresh(WebBrowserRefreshOption.Completely)

Do I have to do anything else to force the refresh to reload the PDF from the server?

Answer 1

Further to Serj Sagan, here is the code with bizarre error handling simplified, the infinite loop removed, and 32/64-bit capable.

/**
* Modified from code originally found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326201
**/
public class WebBrowserHelper
{
    #region Definitions/DLL Imports
    /// <summary>
    /// For PInvoke: Contains information about an entry in the Internet cache
    /// </summary>
    [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit)]
    public struct ExemptDeltaOrReserverd
    {
        [FieldOffset(0)]
        public UInt32 dwReserved;
        [FieldOffset(0)]
        public UInt32 dwExemptDelta;
    }

    [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
    public struct INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA
    {
        public UInt32 dwStructSize;
        public IntPtr lpszSourceUrlName;
        public IntPtr lpszLocalFileName;
        public UInt32 CacheEntryType;
        public UInt32 dwUseCount;
        public UInt32 dwHitRate;
        public UInt32 dwSizeLow;
        public UInt32 dwSizeHigh;
        public FILETIME LastModifiedTime;
        public FILETIME ExpireTime;
        public FILETIME LastAccessTime;
        public FILETIME LastSyncTime;
        public IntPtr lpHeaderInfo;
        public UInt32 dwHeaderInfoSize;
        public IntPtr lpszFileExtension;
        public ExemptDeltaOrReserverd dwExemptDeltaOrReserved;
    }

    // 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

    /// <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;
        const int ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_BUFFER = 0x7A;

        // 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.            
        long groupId = 0;
        IntPtr enumHandle = FindFirstUrlCacheGroup(0, CACHEGROUP_SEARCH_ALL, IntPtr.Zero, 0, ref groupId, IntPtr.Zero);
        if (enumHandle != IntPtr.Zero) {
            bool more;
            do {
                // Delete a particular Cache Group.
                DeleteUrlCacheGroup(groupId, CACHEGROUP_FLAG_FLUSHURL_ONDELETE, IntPtr.Zero);
                more = FindNextUrlCacheGroup(enumHandle, ref groupId, IntPtr.Zero);
            } while (more);
        }

        // Start to delete URLs that do not belong to any group.
        int cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial = 0;
        FindFirstUrlCacheEntry(null, IntPtr.Zero, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);  // should always fail because buffer is too small
        if (Marshal.GetLastWin32Error() == ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_BUFFER) {
            int cacheEntryInfoBufferSize = cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial;
            IntPtr cacheEntryInfoBuffer = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(cacheEntryInfoBufferSize);
            enumHandle = FindFirstUrlCacheEntry(null, cacheEntryInfoBuffer, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);
            if (enumHandle != IntPtr.Zero) {
                bool more;
                do {
                    INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA internetCacheEntry = (INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA)Marshal.PtrToStructure(cacheEntryInfoBuffer, typeof(INTERNET_CACHE_ENTRY_INFOA));
                    cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial = cacheEntryInfoBufferSize;
                    DeleteUrlCacheEntry(internetCacheEntry.lpszSourceUrlName);
                    more = FindNextUrlCacheEntry(enumHandle, cacheEntryInfoBuffer, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);
                    if (!more && Marshal.GetLastWin32Error() == ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_BUFFER) {
                        cacheEntryInfoBufferSize = cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial;
                        cacheEntryInfoBuffer = Marshal.ReAllocHGlobal(cacheEntryInfoBuffer, (IntPtr)cacheEntryInfoBufferSize);
                        more = FindNextUrlCacheEntry(enumHandle, cacheEntryInfoBuffer, ref cacheEntryInfoBufferSizeInitial);
                    }
                } while (more);
            }
            Marshal.FreeHGlobal(cacheEntryInfoBuffer);
        }
    }
}