(cross-posted, I see, John)

You say: "MUDCAT Refresh button, where you can set a filter word or phrase and how many days to search, should always reconstruct a new page and download new to your browser - so far as I can tell"

yes...but in my experience that 'refresh' may not be permanent, depending on the other settings involved. THAT's why I have lost my cookie in the past, and why some posts get 'lost' for folks....I think.

all I know is, the **RELOAD** button on my browser is the cure-all and gets me the latest settings both from Mudcat's server and my browser cache. Think of it as the 'override' button for the other settings about how often the browser checks a page.