TChilkatDns Delphi ActiveX Reference Documentation

TChilkatDns

Current Version: 10.0.0

API for managing DNS nameservers to be used by Chilkat, and for doing DNS queries.

Importing the Chilkat ActiveX into Delphi

Important: When upgrading to a new version of Chilkat, make sure to re-imported ActiveX DLL into Delphi to regenerate the files described below.


Chilkat v9.5.*: If using Chilkat v9.5.*, then use "Chilkat_v9_5_0_TLB" instead of "Chilkat_TLB", and the DLLs are named ChilkatAx-9.5.0-win32.dll (or ChilkatAx-9.5.0-x64.dll).


Two things are required to use an ActiveX in Delphi:

  1. The ActiveX DLL needs to be registered via regsvr32 on the system where the Delphi application runs. See How To Register ActiveX DLLs for detailed information.
  2. See also: ActiveX Registration Tutorial
  3. The ActiveX component needs to be "imported". Use the Delphi Import Component Wizard to import the Chilkat type library. This creates the following files: Chilkat_TLB.pas and Chilkat_TLB.dcr. The Chilkat_TLB.pas should be added to your project.

To import the Chilkat type library, do the following:

  1. In the Delphi RAD Studio, select the menu item "Component" --> "Import a Type Library".
  2. Find "Chilkat ActiveX" in the list and select it. This will only appear in the list if the ChilkatAx-win32.dll (or ChilkatAx-x64.dll) has been registered w/ regsvr32.
  3. Check the "Generate Component Wrappers" checkbox.
  4. Select a directory where the unit files (.pas and .dcr) should be generated.
  5. Select "Create Unit" and then "Finish".
  6. Add the .pas to your Delphi project.

To use a Chilkat ActiveX object in your Delphi code, add "Chilkat_TLB" to the "uses" statement. For example:

uses
  Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
  Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls, Chilkat_TLB;

Object Creation

var
obj: TChilkatDns;
...
begin
obj := TChilkatDns.Create(Self);
...
// When finished, free the object instance.
obj.Free();

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
property DebugLogFilePath: WideString

If set to a file path, causes each Chilkat method or property call to automatically append it's LastErrorText to the specified log file. The information is appended such that if a hang or crash occurs, it is possible to see the context in which the problem occurred, as well as a history of all Chilkat calls up to the point of the problem. The VerboseLogging property can be set to provide more detailed information.

This property is typically used for debugging the rare cases where a Chilkat method call hangs or generates an exception that halts program execution (i.e. crashes). A hang or crash should generally never happen. The typical causes of a hang are:

  1. a timeout related property was set to 0 to explicitly indicate that an infinite timeout is desired,
  2. the hang is actually a hang within an event callback (i.e. it is a hang within the application code), or
  3. there is an internal problem (bug) in the Chilkat code that causes the hang.

More Information and Examples
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HeartbeatMs
property HeartbeatMs: Integer
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

The number of milliseconds between each AbortCheck event callback. The AbortCheck callback allows an application to abort any DNS operation prior to completion. If HeartbeatMs is 0 (the default), no AbortCheck event callbacks will fire.

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LastBinaryResult
property LastBinaryResult: OleVariant readonly

The binary data returned by the last (binary data returning) method called. Only available if Chilkat.Global.KeepBinaryResult is set to 1. This provides a means for obtaining large varbinary results in the SQL Server environment (where limitations exist in getting large amounts of data returned by method calls, but where temp tables can be used for binary properties).

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LastErrorHtml
property LastErrorHtml: WideString readonly

Provides information in HTML format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastErrorText
property LastErrorText: WideString readonly

Provides information in plain-text format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastErrorXml
property LastErrorXml: WideString readonly

Provides information in XML format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastMethodSuccess
property LastMethodSuccess: Integer

Indicate whether the last method call succeeded or failed. A value of 1 indicates success, a value of 0 indicates failure. This property is automatically set for method calls. It is not modified by property accesses. The property is automatically set to indicate success for the following types of method calls:

  • Any method that returns a string.
  • Any method returning a Chilkat object, binary bytes, or a date/time.
  • Any method returning a standard boolean status value where success = 1 and failure = 0.
  • Any method returning an integer where failure is defined by a return value less than zero.

Note: Methods that do not fit the above requirements will always set this property equal to 1. For example, a method that returns no value (such as a "void" in C++) will technically always succeed.

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LastStringResult
property LastStringResult: WideString readonly

The string return value of the last (string returning) method called. Only available if Chilkat.Global.KeepStringResult is set to 1. This provides a means for obtaining large string results in the SQL Server environment (where limitations exist in getting long strings returned by method calls, but where temp tables can be used for string properties).

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LastStringResultLen
property LastStringResultLen: Integer readonly

The length, in characters, of the string contained in the LastStringResult property.

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MaxWaitMs
property MaxWaitMs: Integer
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

The maxiumum number of milliseconds to wait for the answer to a DNS query. A value of 0 is to wait indefinitely (no timeout). It's not a good idea to specify 0 (infinite timeout) or a value less than 1000 (1 second). The default value is 10000 milliseconds.

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NumNameservers
property NumNameservers: Integer readonly
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

The number of nameservers currently being used by Chilkat for DNS queries in all objects/classes, such as for HTTP, Email, FTP, SSH, etc.

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TlsPref
property TlsPref: Integer
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Specifies the TLS preference. Possible values are:

  • 0 = No TLS
  • 1 = Prefer TLS if possible.
  • 2 = Require TLS

The default value is 0. If TLS is preferred then DNS nameservers with TLS capability will be tried first. If none succeed, then UDP/TCP will be tried. If TLS is required, then only TLS capable nameservers will be tried and all DNS queries will use TLS.

Note: To use TLS, your application needs to first specify nameservers by calling AddNameserver once per nameserver with the supportsTls argument set to 1.

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VerboseLogging
property VerboseLogging: Integer

If set to 1, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is 0. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
property Version: WideString readonly

Version of the component/library, such as "9.5.0.94"

More Information and Examples
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Methods

AddDefaultNameservers
procedure AddDefaultNameservers();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Adds the default (auto-assigned) nameservers to the collection of nameservers used by Chilkat for DNS queries and domain to IP address lookups.

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AddNameserver
procedure AddNameserver(ipAddr: WideString; supportsTls: Integer);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Adds a new nameserver to the collection of nameservers used by Chilkat for DNS queries and domain to IP address lookups. The ipAddr specifies the IPv4 address of the nameserver. The supportsTls indicates if the namserver supports DoT (DNS over TLS. DoT uses port 853 for encrypted DNS communication.) If the TlsPreference property is set to 1 or 2, then Chilkat will use TLS nameservers.

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GetNameserver
function GetNameserver(index: Integer): WideString;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Returns the IP address of the Nth nameserver currently used by Chilkat for DNS queries and domain to IP address lookups. The index specifies the index of the nameserver. The 1st nameserver is at index 0.

Returns a zero-length WideString on failure

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Query
function Query(recordType: WideString; domain: WideString; answer: TChilkatJsonObject): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Performs an DNS query for domain and returns the answer in answer. The type of DNS query is specified in recordType and can be A, AAAA, ALIAS, CAA, MX, NS, SOA, TXT. Additional record types can be added as needed.

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QueryAsync (1)
function QueryAsync(recordType: WideString; domain: WideString; answer: TChilkatJsonObject): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Creates an asynchronous task to call the Query method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.

Returns nil on failure

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RemoveAllNameservers
procedure RemoveAllNameservers();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Removes all nameservers from the collection of nameservers used by Chilkat. An application can call this method to reset to 0 nameservers before adding new nameservers. If a DNS domain to IP address resolution is needed by Chilkat, then the auto-assigned nameserver IP addresses will be automaticaly restored.

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RemoveNameserver
procedure RemoveNameserver(ipAddr: WideString);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Removes a nameserver from the collection of nameservers used by Chilkat. The ipAddr is the IPv4 address of the nameserver to be removed.

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Events

AbortCheck
procedure AbortCheck(ASender: TObject; out abort: Integer);

Provides the opportunity for a method call to be aborted. The AbortCheck event is fired periodically based on the value of the HeartbeatMs property. If HeartbeatMs is 0, then no AbortCheck events will fire. As an example, to fire 5 AbortCheck events per second, set the HeartbeatMs property equal to 200.

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.dnsAbortCheck(ASender: TObject;  out abort: Integer);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  dns: TChilkatDns;

begin
  dns := TChilkatDns.Create(Self);
  dns.OnAbortCheck := dnsAbortCheck;
  // ...
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PercentDone
procedure PercentDone(ASender: TObject; pctDone: Integer; out abort: Integer);

Provides the percentage completed for any method that involves network communications or time-consuming processing (assuming it is a method where a percentage completion can be measured). This event is only fired when it is possible to know a percentage completion, and when it makes sense to express the operation as a percentage completed. The pctDone argument will have a value from 1 to 100. For operations (Chilkat method calls) that complete very quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks will vary, but the final callback should have a value of 100. For long running operations, no more than one callback per percentage point will occur (for example: 1, 2, 3, ... 98, 99, 100).

The PercentDone callback counts as an AbortCheck event. For method calls that complete quickly such that PercentDone events fire, it may be that AbortCheck events don't fire because the opportunity to abort is already provided in the PercentDone callback. For time consuming operations, where the amount of time between PercentDone callbacks are long, AbortCheck callbacks may be used to allow for the operation to be aborted in a more responsive manner.

The abort output argument provides a means for aborting the operation. Setting it to 1 will cause the method to abort and return a failed status (or whatever return value indicates failure).

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.dnsPercentDone(ASender: TObject;  pctDone: Integer; out abort: Integer);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  dns: TChilkatDns;

begin
  dns := TChilkatDns.Create(Self);
  dns.OnPercentDone := dnsPercentDone;
  // ...
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ProgressInfo
procedure ProgressInfo(ASender: TObject; const name: WideString; const value: WideString);

A general name/value event that provides information about what is happening during a method call. To find out what information is available, write code to handle this event and log the name/value pairs. Most are self-explanatory.

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.dnsProgressInfo(ASender: TObject;  const name: WideString; const value: WideString);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  dns: TChilkatDns;

begin
  dns := TChilkatDns.Create(Self);
  dns.OnProgressInfo := dnsProgressInfo;
  // ...
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TaskCompleted
procedure TaskCompleted(ASender: TObject; const task: IChilkatTask);

Called in the background thread when an asynchronous task completes.

More Information and Examples

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.dnsTaskCompleted(ASender: TObject;  const task: IChilkatTask);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  dns: TChilkatDns;

begin
  dns := TChilkatDns.Create(Self);
  dns.OnTaskCompleted := dnsTaskCompleted;
  // ...
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