SFtp Excel Class Module Reference Documentation

SFtp

Current Version: 9.5.0.90

SFTP implementation for file transfer and remote file management over SSH.

Object Creation

Dim oSFtp As Chilkat.SFtp
Set oSFtp = Chilkat.NewSFtp

Properties

AbortCurrent
AbortCurrent As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.58

When set to True, causes the currently running method to abort. Methods that always finish quickly (i.e.have no length file operations or network communications) are not affected. If no method is running, then this property is automatically reset to False when the next method is called. When the abort occurs, this property is reset to False. Both synchronous and asynchronous method calls can be aborted. (A synchronous method call could be aborted by setting this property from a separate thread.)

top
AuthFailReason
AuthFailReason As Long (read only)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.52

Set to one of the following values if a call to AuthenticatePw, AuthenticatePk, or AuthenticatePwPk returns a failed status.

  • 1: Transport failure. This is a failure to communicate with the server (i.e. the connection was lost, or a read or write failed or timed out).
  • 2: Invalid key for public key authentication. The key was not a valid format, not a valid key, not a private key, or not the right type of key.
  • 3: No matching authentication methods were available.
  • 4: SSH authentication protocol error - an unexpected or invalid message was received.
  • 5: The incorrect password or private key was provided.
  • 6: Already authenticated. The SSH session is already authenticated.
  • 7: Password change request: The server requires the password to be changed.

top
BandwidthThrottleDown
BandwidthThrottleDown As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

If non-zero, limits (throttles) the download bandwidth to approximately this maximum number of bytes per second. The default value of this property is 0.

top
BandwidthThrottleUp
BandwidthThrottleUp As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

If non-zero, limits (throttles) the upload bandwidth to approximately this maximum number of bytes per second. The default value of this property is 0.

More Information and Examples
top
ClientIdentifier
ClientIdentifier As String

The client-identifier string to be used when connecting to an SSH/SFTP server. Defaults to "SSH-2.0-PuTTY_Release_0.63". (This string is used to mimic PuTTY because some servers are known to disconnect from clients with unknown client identifiers.)

top
ClientIpAddress
ClientIpAddress As String

The IP address to use for computers with multiple network interfaces or IP addresses. For computers with a single network interface (i.e. most computers), this property should not be set. For multihoming computers, the default IP address is automatically used if this property is not set.

The IP address is a string such as in dotted notation using numbers, not domain names, such as "165.164.55.124".

top
ConnectTimeoutMs
ConnectTimeoutMs As Long

Maximum number of milliseconds to wait when connecting to an SSH server.

To clarify: This property determines how long to wait for the SSH server to accept the TCP connection. Once the connection is made, it is the IdleTimeoutMs property that applies to receiving data and responses.

top
DebugLogFilePath
DebugLogFilePath As String

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.

top
DisconnectCode
DisconnectCode As Long (read only)

If the SSH/SFTP server sent a DISCONNECT message when closing the connection, this property contains the "reason code" as specified in RFC 4253:

           Symbolic name                                reason code
           -------------                                -----------
      SSH_DISCONNECT_HOST_NOT_ALLOWED_TO_CONNECT             1
      SSH_DISCONNECT_PROTOCOL_ERROR                          2
      SSH_DISCONNECT_KEY_EXCHANGE_FAILED                     3
      SSH_DISCONNECT_RESERVED                                4
      SSH_DISCONNECT_MAC_ERROR                               5
      SSH_DISCONNECT_COMPRESSION_ERROR                       6
      SSH_DISCONNECT_SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE                   7
      SSH_DISCONNECT_PROTOCOL_VERSION_NOT_SUPPORTED          8
      SSH_DISCONNECT_HOST_KEY_NOT_VERIFIABLE                 9
      SSH_DISCONNECT_CONNECTION_LOST                        10
      SSH_DISCONNECT_BY_APPLICATION                         11
      SSH_DISCONNECT_TOO_MANY_CONNECTIONS                   12
      SSH_DISCONNECT_AUTH_CANCELLED_BY_USER                 13
      SSH_DISCONNECT_NO_MORE_AUTH_METHODS_AVAILABLE         14
      SSH_DISCONNECT_ILLEGAL_USER_NAME                      15

top
DisconnectReason
DisconnectReason As String (read only)

If the SSH/SFTP server sent a DISCONNECT message when closing the connection, this property contains a descriptive string for the "reason code" as specified in RFC 4253.

top
EnableCache
EnableCache As Long

Controls whether the component keeps an internal file size & attribute cache. The cache affects the following methods: GetFileSize32, GetFileSize64, GetFileSizeStr, GetFileCreateTime, GetFileLastAccess, GetFileLastModified, GetFileOwner, GetFileGroup, and GetFilePermissions.

The file attribute cache exists to minimize communications with the SFTP server. If the cache is enabled, then a request for any single attribute will cause all of the attributes to be cached. A subsequent request for a different attribute of the same file will be fulfilled from cache, eliminating the need for a message to be sent to the SFTP server.

Note: Caching only occurs when filenames are used, not handles.

top
EnableCompression
EnableCompression As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Enables or disables the use of compression w/ the SSH connection. The default value is False.

Some older SSH servers have been found that claim to support compression, but actually fail when compression is used. PuTTY does not enable compression by default. If trouble is encountered where the SSH server disconnects immediately after the connection is seemingly established (i.e. during authentication), then check to see if disabling compression resolves the problem.

top
FilenameCharset
FilenameCharset As String

Automatically set during the InitializeSftp method if the server sends a filename-charset name-value extension. Otherwise, may be set directly to the name of a charset, such as "utf-8", "iso-8859-1", "windows-1252", etc. ("ansi" is also a valid choice.) Incoming filenames are interpreted as utf-8 if no FilenameCharset is set. Outgoing filenames are sent using utf-8 by default. Otherwise, incoming and outgoing filenames use the charset specified by this property.

top
ForceCipher
ForceCipher As String

Set to one of the following encryption algorithms to force that cipher to be used. By default, the component will automatically choose the first cipher supported by the server in the order listed here: "aes256-ctr", "aes128-ctr", "aes256-cbc", "aes128-cbc", "twofish256-cbc", "twofish128-cbc", "blowfish-cbc", "3des-cbc", "arcfour128", "arcfour256". (If blowfish is chosen, the encryption strength is 128 bits.)

Important: If this is property is set and the server does NOT support then encryption algorithm, then the Connect will fail.

top
ForceV3
ForceV3 As Long

If set to True, forces the client to choose version 3 of the SFTP protocol, even if the server supports a higher version. The default value of this property is True.

top
HostKeyAlg
HostKeyAlg As String

Indicates the preferred host key algorithm to be used in establishing the SSH secure connection. The default is "DSS". It may be changed to "RSA" if needed. Chilkat recommends not changing this unless a problem warrants the change.

top
HostKeyFingerprint
HostKeyFingerprint As String (read only)

Set after connecting to an SSH/SFTP server. The format of the fingerprint looks like this: "ssh-rsa 1024 68:ff:d1:4e:6c:ff:d7:b0:d6:58:73:85:07:bc:2e:d5"

top
HttpProxyAuthMethod
HttpProxyAuthMethod As String

If an HTTP proxy requiring authentication is to be used, set this property to the HTTP proxy authentication method name. Valid choices are "Basic" or "NTLM".

top
HttpProxyDomain
HttpProxyDomain As String

The NTLM authentication domain (optional) if NTLM authentication is used w/ the HTTP proxy.

top
HttpProxyHostname
HttpProxyHostname As String

If an HTTP proxy is to be used, set this property to the HTTP proxy hostname or IPv4 address (in dotted decimal notation).

top
HttpProxyPassword
HttpProxyPassword As String

If an HTTP proxy requiring authentication is to be used, set this property to the HTTP proxy password.

top
HttpProxyPort
HttpProxyPort As Long

If an HTTP proxy is to be used, set this property to the HTTP proxy port number. (Two commonly used HTTP proxy ports are 8080 and 3128.)

top
HttpProxyUsername
HttpProxyUsername As String

If an HTTP proxy requiring authentication is to be used, set this property to the HTTP proxy login name.

top
IdleTimeoutMs
IdleTimeoutMs As Long

Causes SFTP operations to fail when progress for sending or receiving data halts for more than this number of milliseconds. Setting IdleTimeoutMs = 0 allows the application to wait indefinitely. The default value of this property is 30000 (which equals 30 seconds).

top
IncludeDotDirs
IncludeDotDirs As Long

If True, then the ReadDir method will include the "." and ".." directories in its results. The default value of this property is False.

top
InitializeFailCode
InitializeFailCode As Long (read only)

The InitializeSftp method call opens a channel for the SFTP session. If the request to open a channel fails, this property contains a code that identifies the reason for failure. The reason codes are defined in RFC 4254 and are reproduced here:

             Symbolic name                           reason code
             -------------                           -----------
            SSH_OPEN_ADMINISTRATIVELY_PROHIBITED          1
            SSH_OPEN_CONNECT_FAILED                       2
            SSH_OPEN_UNKNOWN_CHANNEL_TYPE                 3
            SSH_OPEN_RESOURCE_SHORTAGE                    4

top
InitializeFailReason
InitializeFailReason As String (read only)

The InitializeSftp method call opens a channel for the SFTP session. If the request to open a channel fails, this property contains a description of the reason for failure. (It contains descriptive text matching the InitializeFailCode property.)

top
IsConnected
IsConnected As Long (read only)

Returns True if connected to the SSH server. Note: This does not mean authentication has happened or InitializeSftp has already succeeded. It only means that the connection has been established by calling Connect.

Understanding the IsConnected property: The IsConnected property is the last known state of the TCP connection (either connected or disconnected). This requires some explanation because most developer have incorrect assumptions about TCP connections.

  • If a TCP connection is established, and neither side is reading or writing the socket (i.e. both sides are doing nothing), then you can disconnect the network cable from the computer for any length of time, and then re-connect, and the TCP connection is not affected.
  • A TCP connection only becomes disconnected when an attempt is made to read/write while a network problem exists. If no attempts to read/write occur, a network problem may arise and then become resolved without affecting the TCP connection.
  • If the peer chooses to close its side of the TCP connection, your application won't magically know about it until you try to do something with the TCP socket (such as read or write).
  • A Chilkat API property (as opposed to a method) CANNOT and should not do something that would cause an application to timeout, hang, etc. Therefore, it is not appropriate for the IsConnected property to attempt any kind of socket operation (read/write/peek) on the socket. It simply returns the last known state of the connection. It may very well be that your network cable is unplugged and IsConnected returns True because technically, if neither peer is trying to read/write, the network cable could be plugged back in without affecting the connection. IsConnected could also return True if the peer has already closed its side of the connection, because the state of the connection is only updated after trying to read/write/peek.
  • To truly know the current connected state (as opposed to the last known connection state), your application should attempt a network operation that is appropriate to the protocol. For SFTP, an application could call SendIgnore, and then check IsConnected.

top
KeepSessionLog
KeepSessionLog As Long

Controls whether communications to/from the SFTP server are saved to the SessionLog property. The default value is False. If this property is set to True, the contents of the SessionLog property will continuously grow as SFTP activity transpires. The purpose of the KeepSessionLog / SessionLog properties is to help in debugging any future problems that may arise.

top
LastErrorHtml
LastErrorHtml As String (read only)

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.

top
LastErrorText
LastErrorText As String (read only)

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.

top
LastErrorXml
LastErrorXml As String (read only)

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.

top
LastMethodSuccess
LastMethodSuccess As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.52

Indicate whether the last method call succeeded or failed. A value of True indicates success, a value of False 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 = True and failure = False.
  • 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 True. For example, a method that returns no value (such as a "void" in C++) will technically always succeed.

top
LastStatusCode
LastStatusCode As Long (read only)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.85

Contains the numeric last status code received in an SSH_FXP_STATUS message received from the SFTP server. Status codes are defined in the SFTP protocol specification as follows:

(See https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-ietf-secsh-filexfer-13.txt)

SSH_FX_OK                            0
SSH_FX_EOF                           1
SSH_FX_NO_SUCH_FILE                  2
SSH_FX_PERMISSION_DENIED             3
SSH_FX_FAILURE                       4
SSH_FX_BAD_MESSAGE                   5
SSH_FX_NO_CONNECTION                 6
SSH_FX_CONNECTION_LOST               7
SSH_FX_OP_UNSUPPORTED                8
SSH_FX_INVALID_HANDLE                9
SSH_FX_NO_SUCH_PATH                  10
SSH_FX_FILE_ALREADY_EXISTS           11
SSH_FX_WRITE_PROTECT                 12
SSH_FX_NO_MEDIA                      13
SSH_FX_NO_SPACE_ON_FILESYSTEM        14
SSH_FX_QUOTA_EXCEEDED                15
SSH_FX_UNKNOWN_PRINCIPAL             16
SSH_FX_LOCK_CONFLICT                 17
SSH_FX_DIR_NOT_EMPTY                 18
SSH_FX_NOT_A_DIRECTORY               19
SSH_FX_INVALID_FILENAME              20
SSH_FX_LINK_LOOP                     21
SSH_FX_CANNOT_DELETE                 22
SSH_FX_INVALID_PARAMETER             23
SSH_FX_FILE_IS_A_DIRECTORY           24
SSH_FX_BYTE_RANGE_LOCK_CONFLICT      25
SSH_FX_BYTE_RANGE_LOCK_REFUSED       26
SSH_FX_DELETE_PENDING                27
SSH_FX_FILE_CORRUPT                  28
SSH_FX_OWNER_INVALID                 29
SSH_FX_GROUP_INVALID                 30
SSH_FX_NO_MATCHING_BYTE_RANGE_LOCK       31

top
LastStatusMessage
LastStatusMessage As String (read only)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.85

Contains the message text received in the last SSH_FXP_STATUS message received from the SFTP server. The actual text of the message can vary depending on the SFTP server implementation. The integer status code is available in the LastStatusCode property.

top
MaxPacketSize
MaxPacketSize As Long

The maximum packet length to be used in the underlying SSH transport protocol. The default value is 32768. (This should generally be left unchanged.)

top
PasswordChangeRequested
PasswordChangeRequested As Long (read only)

Set by the AuthenticatePw and AuthenticatePwPk methods. If the authenticate method returns a failed status, and this property is set to True, then it indicates the server requested a password change. In this case, re-call the authenticate method, but provide both the old and new passwords in the following format, where vertical bar characters encapsulate the old and new passwords:

|oldPassword|newPassword|

top
PreferIpv6
PreferIpv6 As Long

If True, then use IPv6 over IPv4 when both are supported for a particular domain. The default value of this property is False, which will choose IPv4 over IPv6.

top
PreserveDate
PreserveDate As Long

If True, then the file last-modified and create date/time will be preserved for downloaded and uploaded files. The default value is False.

Note: Prior to version 9.5.0.40, this property only applied to downloads. Starting in v9.5.0.40, it also applies to the UploadFileByName method.

  • It does not apply to uploads or downloads where the remote file is opened to obtain a handle, the data is uploaded/downloaded, and then the handle is closed.
  • The last-mod date/times are always preserved ini the SyncTreeDownload and SyncTreeUpload methods.

top
ProtocolVersion
ProtocolVersion As Long (read only)

The negotiated SFTP protocol version, which should be a value between 3 and 6 inclusive. When the InitializeSftp method is called, the Chilkat SFTP client sends it's highest supported protocol version to the server, and the server sends it's SFTP protocol version in response. The negotiated protocol (i.e. the protocol version used for the session) is the lower of the two numbers. If the SFTP server's protocol version is lower than 6, some file date/attributes are not supported because they are not supported by the earlier protocol version. These exceptions are noted throughout the reference documentation.

top
ReadDirMustMatch
ReadDirMustMatch As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.53

Can contain a wildcarded list of file patterns separated by semicolons. For example, "*.xml; *.txt; *.csv". If set, the ReadDir method will only return files that match any one of these patterns.

top
ReadDirMustNotMatch
ReadDirMustNotMatch As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.53

Can contain a wildcarded list of file patterns separated by semicolons. For example, "*.xml; *.txt; *.csv". If set, the ReadDir method will only return files that do not match any of these patterns.

top
ServerIdentifier
ServerIdentifier As String (read only)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

The server-identifier string received from the server during connection establishment. For example, a typical value would be similar to "SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_7.2p2 Ubuntu-4ubuntu2.2".

top
SessionLog
SessionLog As String (read only)

Contains a log of the messages sent to/from the SFTP server. To enable session logging, set the KeepSessionLog property = True. Note: This property is not a filename -- it is a string property that contains the session log data.

top
SocksHostname
SocksHostname As String

The SOCKS4/SOCKS5 hostname or IPv4 address (in dotted decimal notation). This property is only used if the SocksVersion property is set to 4 or 5).

top
SocksPassword
SocksPassword As String

The SOCKS5 password (if required). The SOCKS4 protocol does not include the use of a password, so this does not apply to SOCKS4.

top
SocksPort
SocksPort As Long

The SOCKS4/SOCKS5 proxy port. The default value is 1080. This property only applies if a SOCKS proxy is used (if the SocksVersion property is set to 4 or 5).

top
SocksUsername
SocksUsername As String

The SOCKS4/SOCKS5 proxy username. This property is only used if the SocksVersion property is set to 4 or 5).

top
SocksVersion
SocksVersion As Long

SocksVersion May be set to one of the following integer values:

0 - No SOCKS proxy is used. This is the default.
4 - Connect via a SOCKS4 proxy.
5 - Connect via a SOCKS5 proxy.

top
SoRcvBuf
SoRcvBuf As Long

Sets the receive buffer size socket option. Normally, this property should be left unchanged. The default value is 4194304.

This property can be increased if download performance seems slow. It is recommended to be a multiple of 4096.

top
SoSndBuf
SoSndBuf As Long

Sets the send buffer size socket option. Normally, this property should be left unchanged. The default value is 262144.

This property can be increased if upload performance seems slow. It is recommended to be a multiple of 4096. Testing with sizes such as 512K and 1MB is reasonable.

top
SyncCreateAllLocalDirs
SyncCreateAllLocalDirs As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.76

If True, then empty directories on the server are created locally when doing a download synchronization. If False, then only directories containing files that are downloaded are auto-created.

The default value of this property is True.

top
SyncDirectives
SyncDirectives As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.58

A property that can contain a list of comma-separated keywords to control certain aspects of an upload or download synchronization (for the SyncTreeUpload and SyncTreeDownload methods). At this time there is only one possible directive, but others may be added in the future.

Set this property to "UploadIgnoreLocalOpenFailures" to skip local files that cannot be opened. A common reason for this would be if another process on the system has the file open for exclusive access.

top
SyncedFiles
SyncedFiles As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.51

The paths of the files uploaded or downloaded in the last call to SyncUploadTree or SyncDownloadTree. The paths are listed one per line. In both cases (for upload and download) each line contains the paths relative to the root synced directory.

Note: For SyncTreeDownload, some of entires can be the paths of local directories that were created. Starting in v9.5.0.77, local directory paths will be terminated with a "/" char (to disinguish a directory from an actual file).

top
SyncMustMatch
SyncMustMatch As String

Can contain a wildcarded list of file patterns separated by semicolons. For example, "*.xml; *.txt; *.csv". If set, the SyncTreeUpload and SyncTreeDownload methods will only transfer files that match any one of these patterns. This property only applies to files. It does not apply to sub-directory names when recursively traversing a directory tree.

top
SyncMustMatchDir
SyncMustMatchDir As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.76

Can contain a wildcarded list of file patterns separated by semicolons. For example, "xml; txt; data_*". If set, the SyncTreeUpload and SyncTreeDownload methods will only enter directories that match any one of these patterns.

top
SyncMustNotMatch
SyncMustNotMatch As String

Can contain a wildcarded list of file patterns separated by semicolons. For example, "*.xml; *.txt; *.csv". If set, the SyncTreeUpload and SyncTreeDownload methods will not transfer files that match any one of these patterns. This property only applies to files. It does not apply to sub-directory names when recursively traversing a directory tree.

top
SyncMustNotMatchDir
SyncMustNotMatchDir As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.76

Can contain a wildcarded list of file patterns separated by semicolons. For example, "xml; txt; data_*". If set, the SyncTreeUpload and SyncTreeDownload methods will not enter directories that match any one of these patterns.

top
TcpNoDelay
TcpNoDelay As Long

This property controls the use of the internal TCP_NODELAY socket option (which disables the Nagle algorithm). The default value of this property is False. Setting this value to True disables the delay of sending successive small packets on the network.

top
UncommonOptions
UncommonOptions As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.73

This is a catch-all property to be used for uncommon needs. This property defaults to the empty string, and should typically remain empty.

Can be set to a list of the following comma separated keywords:

  • "KEX_DH_GEX_REQUEST_OLD" - Introduced in v9.5.0.73. Force the old Group Exchange message to be used. This would be used for very old SSH server implementations that do not use the RFC standard for diffie-hellman-group-exchange.
  • "ProtectFromVpn" - Introduced in v9.5.0.80. On Android systems, will bypass any VPN that may be installed or active.
  • "NoSyncDownloadEmptyFiles" - Introduced in v9.5.0.80. Prevents empty files from being downloaded in SyncTreeDownload.

top
UploadChunkSize
UploadChunkSize As Long

The chunk size to use when uploading files via the UploadFile or UploadFileByName methods. The default value is 32000. If an upload fails because "WSAECONNABORTED An established connection was aborted by the software in your host machine.", then try setting this property to a smaller value, such as 4096. A smaller value will result in slower transfer rates, but may help avoid this problem.

top
UserAuthBanner
UserAuthBanner As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.88

If a user authentication banner message is received during authentication, it will be made available here. An application can check to see if this property contains a banner string after calling StartKeyboardAuth. It is only possible for an application to display this message if it is doing keyboard-interactive authentication via the StartKeyboardAuth and ContinueKeyboardAuth methods.

top
UtcMode
UtcMode As Long

If True, then date/times are returned as UTC times. If False (the default) then date/times are returned as local times.

top
VerboseLogging
VerboseLogging As Long

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

top
Version
Version As String (read only)

Version of the component/library, such as "9.5.0.63"

top
XferByteCount
XferByteCount As Long (read only)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

The current transfer byte count for an ongoing upload or download. Programs doing asynchronous uploads or downloads can read this property in real time during the upload. For SyncTreeUpload and SyncTreeDownload operations, this is the real-time cumulative number of bytes for all files uploaded or downloaded.

top

Methods

AccumulateBytes
AccumulateBytes(handle As String, maxBytes As Long) As Long

Downloads bytes from an open file and appends them to the AccumulateBuffer. The handle is a file handle returned by the OpenFile method. The maxBytes is the maximum number of bytes to read. If the end-of-file is reached prior to reading the number of requested bytes, then fewer bytes may be returned.

Returns the number of bytes downloaded and appended to AccumulateBuffer. Returns -1 on error.

top
Add64
Add64(n1 As String, n2 As String) As String

Convenience method for 64-bit addition. Allows for two 64-bit integers to be passed as decimal strings and returns the sum in a decimal sting.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
AuthenticatePk
AuthenticatePk(username As String, privateKey As SshKey) As Long

Authenticates with the SSH server using public-key authentication. The corresponding public key must have been installed on the SSH server for the username. Authentication will succeed if the matching privateKey is provided.

Important: When reporting problems, please send the full contents of the LastErrorText property to support@chilkatsoft.com.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
AuthenticatePw
AuthenticatePw(login As String, password As String) As Long

Authenticates with the SSH server using a login and password.

An SFTP session always begins by first calling Connect to connect to the SSH server, then calling either AuthenticatePw or AuthenticatePk to login, and finally calling InitializeSftp.

Important: When reporting problems, please send the full contents of the LastErrorText property to support@chilkatsoft.com.

Note: To learn about how to handle password change requests, see the PasswordChangeRequested property (above).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
AuthenticatePwPk
AuthenticatePwPk(username As String, password As String, privateKey As SshKey) As Long

Authentication for SSH servers that require both a password and private key. (Most SSH servers are configured to require one or the other, but not both.)

Important: When reporting problems, please send the full contents of the LastErrorText property to support@chilkatsoft.com.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
AuthenticateSecPw
AuthenticateSecPw(login As SecureString, password As SecureString) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

The same as AuthenticatePw, but the login and password are passed in secure string objects.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
AuthenticateSecPwPk
AuthenticateSecPwPk(username As SecureString, password As SecureString, privateKey As SshKey) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

The same as AuthenticatePwPk, but the login and password are passed in secure string objects.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
ClearAccumulateBuffer
ClearAccumulateBuffer()

Clears the contents of the AccumulateBuffer property.

top
ClearCache
ClearCache()

Clears the internal file attribute cache. (Please refer to the EnableCache property for more information about the file attribute cache.)

top
ClearSessionLog
ClearSessionLog()

Clears the contents of the SessionLog property.

top
CloseHandle
CloseHandle(handle As String) As Long

Closes a file on the SSH/SFTP server. handle is a file handle returned from a previous call to OpenFile or OpenDir.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
Connect
Connect(domainName As String, port As Long) As Long

Connects to an SSH/SFTP server. The domainName may be a domain name or an IP address (example: 192.168.1.10). Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are supported. The port is typically 22, which is the standard port for SSH servers.

An SFTP session always begins by first calling Connect to connect to the SSH server, then calling either AuthenticatePw or AuthenticatePk to login, and finally calling InitializeSftp.

Important: When reporting problems, please send the full contents of the LastErrorText property to support@chilkatsoft.com.

Important: All TCP-based Internet communications, regardless of the protocol (such as HTTP, FTP, SSH, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, etc.), and regardless of SSL/TLS, begin with establishing a TCP connection to a remote host:port. External security-related infrastructure such as software firewalls (Windows Firewall), hardware firewalls, anti-virus, at either source or destination (or both) can block the connection. If the connection fails, make sure to check all potential external causes of blockage.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
ConnectThroughSsh
ConnectThroughSsh(sshConn As Ssh, hostname As String, port As Long) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.55

Connects to an SSH/SFTP server through an existing SSH connection. The sshConn is an existing connected and authenticated SSH object. The connection to hostname:port is made through the existing SSH connection via port-forwarding. If successful, the connection is as follows: application => ServerSSH1 => ServerSSH2. (where ServerSSH1 is the sshConn and ServerSSH2 is the SSH server at hostname:port) Once connected in this way, all communications are routed through ServerSSH1 to ServerSSH2. This includes authentication -- which means the application must still call one of the Authenticate* methods to authenticate with ServerSSH2.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
ContinueKeyboardAuth
ContinueKeyboardAuth(response As String) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.88

Continues keyboard-interactive authentication with the SSH server. The response is typically the password. If multiple responses are required (because there were multiple prompts in the infoRequest XML returned by StartKeyboardAuth), then the response should be formatted as XML (as shown below) otherwise the response simply contains the single response string.

<response>
    <response1>response to first prompt</response1>
    <response2>response to second prompt</response2>
    ...
    <responseN>response to Nth prompt</responseN>
</response>

If the interactive authentication completed with success or failure, the XML response will be:

<success>success_message</success>

or

<error>error_message</error>
If additional steps are required to complete the interactive authentication, then an XML string that provides the name, instruction, and prompts is returned. The XML has the following format:
 	<infoRequest numPrompts="N">
	    <name>name_string</name>
	    <instruction>instruction_string</instruction>
	    <prompt1 echo="1_or_0">prompt_string</prompt1>
	    ...
	    <promptN echo="1_or_0">prompt_string</promptN>
	</infoRequest>

Returns Nothing on failure

top
CopyFileAttr
CopyFileAttr(localFilename As String, remoteFilename As String, isHandle As Boolean) As Long

Sets the date/time and other attributes of a remote file to be equal to that of a local file.

The attributes copied depend on the SFTP version of the server:

<b>SFTP v3 (and below)</b>
    Last-Modified Date/Time
    Last-Access Date/Time

<b>SFTP v4, v5</b>
    Last-Modified Date/Time
    Last-Access Date/Time
    Create Date/Time

<b>SFTP v6 (and above)</b>
    Last-Modified Date/Time
    Last-Access Date/Time
    Create Date/Time
    Read-Only Flag
    Hidden Flag
    Archive Flag
    Compressed Flag
    Encrypted Flag

Notes:
(1) The Last-Access date/time may or may not be set. Chilkat has found that the Last-Access time is set to the current date/time, which is probably a result of the operating system setting it based on when the SFTP server is touching the file.
(2) At the time of this writing, it is unknown whether the compressed/encryption settings for a local file are transferred to the remote file. For example, does the remote file become compressed and/or encrypted just by setting the flags? It may depend on the SFTP server and/or the remote filesystem.
(3) Dates/times are sent in GMT. SFTP servers should convert GMT times to local time zones.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
CreateDir
CreateDir(path As String) As Long

Creates a directory on the SFTP server.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
Disconnect
Disconnect()

Disconnects from the SSH server.

top
DownloadBd
DownloadBd(remoteFilePath As String, binData As BinData) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Downloads the contents of a remote file to a BinData object. (Appends to the BinData.)

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
DownloadFile
DownloadFile(handle As String, toFilename As String) As Long

Downloads a file from the SSH server to the local filesystem. There are no limitations on file size and the data is streamed from SSH server to the local file. handle is a file handle returned by a previous call to OpenFile.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
DownloadFileByName
DownloadFileByName(remoteFilePath As String, localFilePath As String) As Long

Simplified method for downloading files.

The last-modified date/time is only preserved when the PreserveDate property is set to True. (The default value of PreserveDate is False.)

Important: If the remoteFilePath is an absolute path, then it is a path from the root of the server's filesystem. For example, "/home/joe/someFile.txt". Use a relative path to specify a directory relative to the $HOME directory of the SSH user account. For example, "./someFile.txt".

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
DownloadSb
DownloadSb(remoteFilePath As String, charset As String, sb As StringBuilder) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Downloads the contents of a remote file to a StringBuilder object. (Appends to the StringBuilder.)

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
Eof
Eof(handle As String) As Long

Returns True if the last read operation for a handle reached the end of file. Otherwise returns False. If an invalid handle is passed, a value of True is returned.

top
FileExists
FileExists(remotePath As String, followLinks As Boolean) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.67

Returns a value to indicate whether the remote file exists or not. remotePath is the path of the remote file. If followLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

This method returns one of the following possible values:

  • -1: Unable to check. Examine the LastErrorText to determine the reason for failure.
  • 0: File does not exist.
  • 1: The regular file exists.
  • 2: It exists, but it is a directory.
  • 3: It exists, but it is a symlink (only possible if followLinks is False)
  • 4: It exists, but it is a special filesystem entry type.
  • 5: It exists, but it is an unkown filesystem entry type.
  • 6: It exists, but it is an socket filesystem entry type.
  • 7: It exists, but it is an char device entry type.
  • 8: It exists, but it is an block device entry type.
  • 9: It exists, but it is an FIFO entry type.

Note: The values greater than zero correspond to the possible values as specified in the SFTP protocol specification. A given value may not make sense on all operating systems.

More Information and Examples
top
Fsync
Fsync(handle As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Causes the SFTP server to do an fsync on the open file. Specifically, this is directing the SFTP server to call fsync (https://linux.die.net/man/2/fsync) on the open file.

This method uses the fsync@openssh.com and only works for servers supporting the fsync@openssh.com extension.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
GetFileCreateDt
GetFileCreateDt(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As CkDateTime

Returns the create date/time for a file. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

Note: Servers running the SFTP v3 protocol or lower do not have the ability to return a file's creation date/time.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFileCreateTimeStr
GetFileCreateTimeStr(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As String

The same as GetFileCreateTime, except the date/time is returned as an RFC822 formatted string.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFileGroup
GetFileGroup(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As String

Returns the group of a file. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

Note: Servers running the SFTP v3 protocol or lower do not have the ability to return a file's group name. Instead, the decimal GID of the file is returned.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFileLastAccessDt
GetFileLastAccessDt(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As CkDateTime

Returns the last-access date/time for a file. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFileLastAccessStr
GetFileLastAccessStr(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As String

The same as GetFileLastAccess, except the date/time is returned as an RFC822 formatted string.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFileLastModifiedDt
GetFileLastModifiedDt(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As CkDateTime

Returns the last-modified date/time for a file. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFileLastModifiedStr
GetFileLastModifiedStr(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As String

The same as GetFileLastModified, except the date/time is returned as an RFC822 formatted string.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFileOwner
GetFileOwner(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As String

Returns the owner of a file. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

Note: Servers running the SFTP v3 protocol or lower do not have the ability to return a file's owner name. Instead, the decimal UID of the file is returned.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
GetFilePermissions
GetFilePermissions(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As Long

Returns the access permisssions flags of a file. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

More Information and Examples
top
GetFileSize32
GetFileSize32(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As Long

Returns the size in bytes of a file on the SSH server. If the file size exceeds what can be represented in 32-bits, a value of -1 is returned. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

top
GetFileSizeStr
GetFileSizeStr(pathOrHandle As String, bFollowLinks As Boolean, bIsHandle As Boolean) As String

Returns the size in bytes (in decimal string form) of a file on the SSH server. pathOrHandle may be a remote filepath or an open handle string as returned by OpenFile. If pathOrHandle is a handle, then bIsHandle must be set to True, otherwise it should be False. If bFollowLinks is True, then symbolic links will be followed on the server.

Note: This method exists for environments that do not have 64-bit integer support. The Add64 method is provided for 64-bit addition, and other methods such as ReadFileBytes64s allow for 64-bit values to be passed as strings.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
HardLink
HardLink(oldPath As String, newPath As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Creates a hard link on the server using the hardlink@openssh.com extension. This only works for SFTP servers that support the hardlink@openssh.com extension.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
InitializeSftp
InitializeSftp() As Long

Intializes the SFTP subsystem. This should be called after connecting and authenticating. An SFTP session always begins by first calling Connect to connect to the SSH server, then calling either AuthenticatePw or AuthenticatePk to login, and finally calling InitializeSftp.

Important: When reporting problems, please send the full contents of the LastErrorText property to support@chilkatsoft.com.

If this method fails, the reason may be present in the InitializeFailCode and InitializeFailReason properties (assuming the failure occurred when trying to open the SFTP session channel).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
LastJsonData
LastJsonData() As JsonObject
Introduced in version 9.5.0.79

Provides information about what transpired in the last method called. For many methods, there is no information. For some methods, details about what transpired can be obtained via LastJsonData.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
LastReadFailed
LastReadFailed(handle As String) As Long

Returns True if the last read on the specified handle failed. Otherwise returns False.

top
LastReadNumBytes
LastReadNumBytes(handle As String) As Long

Returns the number of bytes received by the last read on a specified channel.

top
OpenDir
OpenDir(path As String) As String

Opens a directory for reading. To get a directory listing, first open the directory by calling this method, then call ReadDir to read the directory, and finally call CloseHandle to close the directory.

The SFTP protocol represents file names as strings. File names are assumed to use the slash ('/') character as a directory separator.

File names starting with a slash are "absolute", and are relative to the root of the file system. Names starting with any other character are relative to the user's default directory (home directory). Note that identifying the user is assumed to take place outside of this protocol.

Servers SHOULD interpret a path name component ".." as referring to the parent directory, and "." as referring to the current directory.

An empty path name is valid, and it refers to the user's default directory (usually the user's home directory).

Please note: This method does NOT "change" the remote working directory. It is only a method for opening a directory for the purpose of reading the directory listing.

SFTP is Secure File Transfer over SSH. It is not the FTP protocol. There is no similarity or relationship between FTP and SFTP. Therefore, concepts such as "current remote directory" that exist in FTP do not exist with SFTP. With the SFTP protocol, the current directory will always be the home directory of the user account used during SSH/SFTP authentication. You may pass relative or absolute directory/file paths. A relative path is always relative to the home directory of the SSH user account.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
OpenFile
OpenFile(remotePath As String, access As String, createDisposition As String) As String

Opens or creates a file on the remote system. Returns a handle which may be passed to methods for reading and/or writing the file. The remotePath is the remote file path (the path to the file on the server). When the application is finished with the handle, it should call CloseHandle(remotePath).

Important: If the remotePath is an absolute path, then it is a path from the root of the server's filesystem. For example, "/home/joe/someFile.txt". Use a relative path to specify a directory relative to the $HOME directory of the SSH user account. For example, "./someFile.txt".

access should be one of the following strings: "readOnly", "writeOnly", or "readWrite".

createDisposition is a comma-separated list of keywords to provide more control over how the file is opened or created. One of the following keywords must be present: "createNew", "createTruncate", "openExisting", "openOrCreate", or "truncateExisting". All other keywords are optional. The list of keywords and their meanings are shown here:

createNew
A new file is created; if the file already exists the method fails.

createTruncate
A new file is created; if the file already exists, it is opened and truncated.

openExisting
An existing file is opened. If the file does not exist the method fails.

openOrCreate
If the file exists, it is opened. If the file does not exist, it is created.

truncateExisting
An existing file is opened and truncated. If the file does not exist the method fails.

appendData
Data is always written at the end of the file. Data is not required to be appended atomically. This means that if multiple writers attempt to append data simultaneously, data from the first may be lost.

appendDataAtomic
Data is always written at the end of the file. Data MUST be written atomically so that there is no chance that multiple appenders can collide and result in data being lost.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

textMode
Indicates that the server should treat the file as text and convert it to the canonical newline convention in use. When a file is opened with this flag, data is always appended to the end of the file. Servers MUST process multiple, parallel reads and writes correctly in this mode.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

blockRead
The server MUST guarantee that no other handle has been opened with read access, and that no other handle will be opened with read access until the client closes the handle. (This MUST apply both to other clients and to other processes on the server.) In a nutshell, this opens the file in non-sharing mode.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

blockWrite
The server MUST guarantee that no other handle has been opened with write access, and that no other handle will be opened with write access until the client closes the handle. (This MUST apply both to other clients and to other processes on the server.) In a nutshell, this opens the file in non-sharing mode.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

blockDelete
The server MUST guarantee that the file itself is not deleted in any other way until the client closes the handle. No other client or process is allowed to open the file with delete access.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

blockAdvisory
If set, the above "block" modes are advisory. In advisory mode, only other accesses that specify a "block" mode need be considered when determining whether the "block" can be granted, and the server need not prevent I/O operations that violate the block mode. The server MAY perform mandatory locking even if the blockAdvisory flag is set.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

noFollow
If the final component of the path is a symlink, then the open MUST fail.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

deleteOnClose
The file should be deleted when the last handle to it is closed. (The last handle may not be an sftp-handle.) This MAY be emulated by a server if the OS doesn't support it by deleting the file when this handle is closed.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

accessAuditAlarmInfo
The client wishes the server to enable any privileges or extra capabilities that the user may have in to allow the reading and writing of AUDIT or ALARM access control entries.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

accessBackup
The client wishes the server to enable any privileges or extra capabilities that the user may have in order to bypass normal access checks for the purpose of backing up or restoring files.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

backupStream
This flag indicates that the client wishes to read or write a backup stream. A backup stream is a system dependent structured data stream that encodes all the information that must be preserved in order to restore the file from backup medium. The only well defined use for backup stream data read in this fashion is to write it to the same server to a file also opened using the backupStream flag. However, if the server has a well defined backup stream format, there may be other uses for this data outside the scope of this protocol.
(Only supported in SFTP protocol versions 5 and later. See the note below.)

IMPORANT: If remotePath is a filename with no path, such as "test.txt", and the server responds with a "Folder not found" error, then try prepending "./" to the remotePath. For example, instead of passing "test.txt", try "./test.txt".

IMPORTANT note about createDisposition: Many of the options, such as textMode, are not implemented in the SFTP protocol versions 3 and 4. Only SFTP servers at protocol version 5 or later support these options. You can find out the protocol version of your server by examining the value of the ProtocolVersion property after calling InitializeSftp. Also, make sure the ForceV3 property is set to False (the default value is True)

Returns Nothing on failure

top
ReadDir
ReadDir(handle As String) As SFtpDir

Reads the contents of a directory and returns the directory listing (as an object). The handle returned by OpenDir should be passed to this method.

Returns Nothing on failure

More Information and Examples
top
ReadFileBd
ReadFileBd(handle As String, numBytes As Long, bd As BinData) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

Reads file data from a remote file on the SSH server. The handle is a file handle returned by the OpenFile method. The numBytes is the maximum number of bytes to read. If the end-of-file is reached prior to reading the number of requested bytes, then fewer bytes may be returned. The received bytes are appended to the contents of bd.

To read an entire file, one may call ReadFileBd repeatedly until Eof(handle) returns True.

top
ReadFileText
ReadFileText(handle As String, numBytes As Long, charset As String) As String

This method is identical to ReadFileBytes except for one thing: The bytes are interpreted according to the specified charset (i.e. the character encoding) and returned as a string. A list of supported charset values may be found on this page: Supported Charsets.

Note: If the charset is an encoding where a single character might be represented in multiple bytes (such as utf-8, Shift_JIS, etc.) then there is a risk that the very last character may be partially read. This is because the method specifies the number of bytes to read, not the number of characters. This is never a problem with character encodings that use a single byte per character, such as all of the iso-8859-* encodings, or the Windows-* encodings.

To read an entire file, one may call ReadFileText repeatedly until Eof(handle) returns True.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
ReadFileText32
ReadFileText32(handle As String, offset As Long, numBytes As Long, charset As String) As String

This method is identical to ReadFileBytes32 except for one thing: The bytes are interpreted according to the specified charset (i.e. the character encoding) and returned as a string. A list of supported charset values may be found on this page: Supported Charsets.

Note: If the charset is an encoding where a single character might be represented in multiple bytes (such as utf-8, Shift_JIS, etc.) then there is a risk that the very last character may be partially read. This is because the method specifies the number of bytes to read, not the number of characters. This is never a problem with character encodings that use a single byte per character, such as all of the iso-8859-* encodings, or the Windows-* encodings.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
ReadFileText64s
ReadFileText64s(handle As String, offset As String, numBytes As Long, charset As String) As String

This method is identical to ReadFileBytes64s except for one thing: The bytes are interpreted according to the specified charset (i.e. the character encoding) and returned as a string. A list of supported charset values may be found on this page: Supported Charsets.

Note: If the charset is an encoding where a single character might be represented in multiple bytes (such as utf-8, Shift_JIS, etc.) then there is a risk that the very last character may be partially read. This is because the method specifies the number of bytes to read, not the number of characters. This is never a problem with character encodings that use a single byte per character, such as all of the iso-8859-* encodings, or the Windows-* encodings.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
ReadLink
ReadLink(path As String) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Returns the target of a symbolic link on the server. The path is the path of the symbolic link on the server.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
RealPath
RealPath(originalPath As String, composePath As String) As String

This method can be used to have the server canonicalize any given path name to an absolute path. This is useful for converting path names containing ".." components or relative pathnames without a leading slash into absolute paths. The absolute path is returned by this method.

originalPath is the first component of the path which the client wishes resolved into a absolute canonical path. This may be the entire path.

The composePath is a path which the client wishes the server to compose with the original path to form the new path. This field is optional and may be set to a zero-length string.

The server will take the originalPath and apply the composePath as a modification to it. composePath may be relative to originalPath or may be an absolute path, in which case originalPath will be discarded. The composePath may be zero length.

Note: Servers running SFTP v4 and below do not support composePath.

Returns Nothing on failure

top
RemoveDir
RemoveDir(path As String) As Long

Deletes a directory on the remote server. Most (if not all) SFTP servers require that the directorybe empty of files before it may be deleted.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
RemoveFile
RemoveFile(filename As String) As Long

Deletes a file on the SFTP server.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
RenameFileOrDir
RenameFileOrDir(oldPath As String, newPath As String) As Long

Renames a file or directory on the SFTP server. This is the equivalent of moving a file. To move a file from one directory to another, call this method where oldPath is the path of the existing file, and newPath is the path where the file is to be moved. For example, rename a file from "someDirA/filename" to "someDirB/abc/xyz/filename".

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
ResumeDownloadFileByName
ResumeDownloadFileByName(remoteFilePath As String, localFilePath As String) As Long

Resumes an SFTP download. The size of the localFilePath is checked and the download begins at the appropriate position in the remoteFilePath. If localFilePath is empty or non-existent, then this method is identical to DownloadFileByName. If the localFilePath is already fully downloaded, then no additional data is downloaded and the method will return True.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
ResumeUploadFileByName
ResumeUploadFileByName(remoteFilePath As String, localFilePath As String) As Long

Resumes a file upload to the SFTP/SSH server. The size of the remoteFilePath is first checked to determine the starting offset for the upload. If remoteFilePath is empty or does not exist, this method is equivalent to UploadFileByName. If remoteFilePath is already fully uploaded (i.e. it's size is equal to localFilePath), then no additional bytes are uploaded and True is returned.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
SendIgnore
SendIgnore() As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.66

Sends an IGNORE message to the SSH server. This is one way of verifying that the connection to the SSH server is open and valid. The SSH server does not respond to an IGNORE message. It simply ignores it. IGNORE messages are not associated with a channel (i.e., you do not need to first open a channel prior to sending an IGNORE message).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetCreateDt
SetCreateDt(pathOrHandle As String, isHandle As Boolean, createDateTime As CkDateTime) As Long

Sets the create date/time for a file on the server. The pathOrHandle may be a filepath or the handle of a currently open file. isHandle should be set to True if the pathOrHandle is a handle, otherwise set isHandle to False.

Note: Servers running version 3 or lower of the SFTP protocol do not support setting the create date/time.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetCreateTimeStr
SetCreateTimeStr(pathOrHandle As String, bIsHandle As Boolean, dateTimeStr As String) As Long

The same as SetCreateTime, except the date/time is passed as an RFC822 formatted string.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetLastAccessDt
SetLastAccessDt(pathOrHandle As String, isHandle As Boolean, accessDateTime As CkDateTime) As Long

Sets the last-access date/time for a file on the server. The pathOrHandle may be a filepath or the handle of a currently open file. isHandle should be set to True if the pathOrHandle is a handle, otherwise set isHandle to False.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetLastAccessTimeStr
SetLastAccessTimeStr(pathOrHandle As String, bIsHandle As Boolean, dateTimeStr As String) As Long

The same as SetLastAccessTime, except the date/time is passed as an RFC822 formatted string.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetLastModifiedDt
SetLastModifiedDt(pathOrHandle As String, isHandle As Boolean, modifiedDateTime As CkDateTime) As Long

Sets the last-modified date/time for a file on the server. The pathOrHandle may be a filepath or the handle of a currently open file. isHandle should be set to True if the pathOrHandle is a handle, otherwise set isHandle to False.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetLastModifiedTimeStr
SetLastModifiedTimeStr(pathOrHandle As String, bIsHandle As Boolean, dateTimeStr As String) As Long

The same as SetLastModifiedTime, except the date/time is passed as an RFC822 formatted string.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetOwnerAndGroup
SetOwnerAndGroup(pathOrHandle As String, isHandle As Boolean, owner As String, group As String) As Long

Sets the owner and group for a file on the server. The pathOrHandle may be a filepath or the handle of a currently open file. isHandle should be set to True if the pathOrHandle is a handle, otherwise set isHandle to False.

Note: Servers running version 3 or lower of the SFTP protocol do not support setting the owner and group.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SetPermissions
SetPermissions(pathOrHandle As String, isHandle As Boolean, permissions As Long) As Long

Sets the permissions for a file on the server. The pathOrHandle may be a filepath or the handle of a currently open file. isHandle should be set to True if the pathOrHandle is a handle, otherwise set isHandle to False.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
StartKeyboardAuth
StartKeyboardAuth(login As String) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.88

Begins keyboard-interactive authentication with the SSH server. Returns an XML string providing the name, instruction, and prompts. The XML has the following format:

 	<infoRequest numPrompts="N">
	    <name>name_string</name>
	    <instruction>instruction_string</instruction>
	    <prompt1 echo="1_or_0">prompt_string</prompt1>
	    ...
	    <promptN echo="1_or_0">prompt_string</promptN>
	</infoRequest>

If the authentication immediately succeeds because no password is required, or immediately fails, the XML response can be:

<success>success_message</success>

or

<error>error_message</error>

Returns Nothing on failure

top
SymLink
SymLink(oldPath As String, newPath As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Create a symbolic link from oldpath to newpath on the server filesystem.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
SyncTreeDownload
SyncTreeDownload(remoteRoot As String, localRoot As String, mode As Long, recurse As Boolean) As Long

Downloads files from the SFTP server to a local directory tree. Synchronization modes include:

mode=0: Download all files
mode=1: Download all files that do not exist on the local filesystem.
mode=2: Download newer or non-existant files.
mode=3: Download only newer files. If a file does not already exist on the local filesystem, it is not downloaded from the server.
mode=5: Download only missing files or files with size differences.
mode=6: Same as mode 5, but also download newer files.
mode=99: Do not download files, but instead delete remote files that do not exist locally.

If recurse is False, then the remotel directory tree is not recursively descended.

Important: If the remoteRoot is an absolute path, then it is a path from the root of the server's filesystem. For example, "/home/joe/sourceDir". Use a relative path to specify a directory relative to the $HOME directory of the SSH user account. For example, "./sourceDir".

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
SyncTreeUpload
SyncTreeUpload(localBaseDir As String, remoteBaseDir As String, mode As Long, bRecurse As Boolean) As Long

Uploads a directory tree from the local filesystem to the SFTP server. Synchronization modes include:

mode=0: Upload all files
mode=1: Upload all files that do not exist on the server.
mode=2: Upload newer or non-existant files.
mode=3: Upload only newer files. If a file does not already exist on the server, it is not uploaded.
mode=4: transfer missing files or files with size differences.
mode=5: same as mode 4, but also newer files.

If bRecurse is False, then the local directory tree is not recursively descended.

Important: If the remoteBaseDir is an absolute path, then it is a path from the root of the server's filesystem. For example, "/home/joe/targetDir". Use a relative path to specify a directory relative to the $HOME directory of the SSH user account. For example, "./targetDir".

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
UploadBd
UploadBd(binData As BinData, remoteFilePath As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Uploads the contents of a BinData to a remote file.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
UploadFile
UploadFile(handle As String, fromLocalFilePath As String) As Long

Uploads a file from the local filesystem to the SFTP server. handle is a handle of a currently open file (obtained by calling the OpenFile method). fromLocalFilePath is the local file path of the file to be uploaded.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
UploadFileByName
UploadFileByName(remoteFilePath As String, localFilePath As String) As Long

Simplified method for uploading a file to the SFTP/SSH server.

The last-modified date/time is only preserved if the PreserveDate property is set to True. This behavior of maintaining the last-mod date/time was introduced in v9.5.0.40.

Important: If the remoteFilePath is an absolute path, then it is a path from the root of the server's filesystem. For example, "/home/joe/someFile.txt". Use a relative path to specify a directory relative to the $HOME directory of the SSH user account. For example, "./someFile.txt".

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
UploadSb
UploadSb(sb As StringBuilder, remoteFilePath As String, charset As String, includeBom As Boolean) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Uploads the contents of a StringBuilder to a remote file.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
WriteFileBd
WriteFileBd(handle As String, bd As BinData) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

Appends the contents of bd to an open file. The handle is a file handle returned by the OpenFile method.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
WriteFileText
WriteFileText(handle As String, charset As String, textData As String) As Long

Appends character data to an open file. The handle is a file handle returned by the OpenFile method. charset is a character encoding and is typically set to values such as "ansi", "utf-8", "windows-1252", etc. A list of supported character encodings is found on this page: Supported Charsets.

Note: It is necessary to specify the character encoding because in many programming languages, strings are represented as Unicode (2 bytes/char) and in most cases one does not wish to write Unicode chars to a text file (although it is possible by setting charset = "Unicode").

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
WriteFileText32
WriteFileText32(handle As String, offset32 As Long, charset As String, textData As String) As Long

Writes character data to an open file at a specific offset from the beginning of the file. The handle is a file handle returned by the OpenFile method. charset is a character encoding and is typically set to values such as "ansi", "utf-8", "windows-1252", etc. A list of supported character encodings is found on this page: Supported Charsets.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top
WriteFileText64s
WriteFileText64s(handle As String, offset64 As String, charset As String, textData As String) As Long

Writes character data to an open file at a specific offset from the beginning of the file. The handle is a file handle returned by the OpenFile method. The offset64 is an offset (in decimal string format) from the beginning of the file. charset is a character encoding and is typically set to values such as "ansi", "utf-8", "windows-1252", etc. A list of supported character encodings is found on this page: Supported Charsets.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

top