When jQuery $.ajax() keeps returning the same value on Internet Explorer

I just mentioned this in my last post, but it is important enough that I'm going to give it its own post!

If you have jQuery Ajax calls, such as $.ajax() , $.get(), etc., that are continually fetching data from a remote server, you may find this works on Firefox, Chrome, etc. but in Internet Explorer it keeps returning the same value.

IE has cached the first return value and thinks that you are making identical requests so it just uses the cached value and never contacts the server.

Turn off caching by adding a call to ajaxSetup  at the start of your script block and set cache to false.

<script>

  $.ajaxSetup ({  
     cache: false  
  });
[...]
</script>


The fix is simple once you realize it but it took me a while to figure it out this morning. 


Debugging JavaScript is painful at the best of times. It's worse when you throw AJAX into the mix. So take small steps and test on multiple platforms right from the start. I need to learn that lesson.