Dns FoxPro Reference Documentation

Dns

Current Version: 11.6.0

Chilkat.Dns

Configure DNS resolution and query DNS records directly from Chilkat.

Chilkat.Dns is a focused class for DNS configuration and DNS record querying. It allows applications to control the nameservers used by Chilkat, query common DNS record types into JSON, configure DNS-over-TLS preference, set DNS query timeouts, and obtain useful diagnostics through LastErrorText.

DNS record queries

Query common DNS record types and receive structured JSON results that are easy to inspect or pass to other application logic.

Nameserver control

Configure the nameservers Chilkat uses instead of relying only on the operating system's default DNS configuration.

DNS-over-TLS preference

Prefer DNS-over-TLS when appropriate for applications that need encrypted DNS lookups.

Timeout settings

Control how long DNS queries may wait before failing, which is useful for responsive applications and troubleshooting.

Application-wide behavior

Nameserver settings affect DNS resolution across Chilkat classes, not only the current Dns object.

Diagnostics

Use LastErrorText to troubleshoot DNS configuration, lookup failures, timeout problems, or nameserver connectivity issues.

Common pattern: Use Dns either to perform direct DNS lookups, or to configure the DNS behavior used by Chilkat as a whole. Because nameserver changes can affect DNS resolution across Chilkat classes, treat them as application-wide configuration rather than object-local state.

Object Creation

loDns = CreateObject('Chilkat.Dns')

Visual FoxPro is a 32-bit application and therefore uses the 32-bit Chilkat ActiveX. To bind to a specific major version of Chilkat, append the major version number to the ProgID, such as CreateObject('Chilkat.Dns.11') for Chilkat v11.*.*.

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
DebugLogFilePath As String

If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.

Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.

Possible causes of hangs include:

  • A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
  • A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
  • An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.

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HeartbeatMs
HeartbeatMs As Number
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

The interval in milliseconds between each AbortCheck event callback, which enables an application to abort certain method calls before they complete. By default, HeartbeatMs is set to 0, meaning no AbortCheck event callbacks will trigger.

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LastBinaryResult
LastBinaryResult As Variant (read-only)

This property is mainly used in SQL Server stored procedures to retrieve binary data from the last method call that returned binary data. It is only accessible if Chilkat.Global.KeepBinaryResult is set to 1. This feature allows for the retrieval of large varbinary results in an SQL Server environment, which has restrictions on returning large data via method calls, though temp tables can handle binary properties.

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LastErrorHtml
LastErrorHtml As String (read-only)

Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorText
LastErrorText As String (read-only)

Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorXml
LastErrorXml As String (read-only)

Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastMethodSuccess
LastMethodSuccess As Number

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: 1 means success, 0 means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.

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LastStringResult
LastStringResult As String (read-only)

In SQL Server stored procedures, this property holds the string return value of the most recent method call that returns a string. It is accessible only when Chilkat.Global.KeepStringResult is set to TRUE. SQL Server has limitations on string lengths returned from methods and properties, but temp tables can be used to access large strings.

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LastStringResultLen
LastStringResultLen As Number (read-only)

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

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MaxWaitMs
MaxWaitMs As Number
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
NumNameservers As Number (read-only)
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
TlsPref As Number
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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UncommonOptions
UncommonOptions As String
Introduced in version 11.4.0

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

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VerboseLogging
VerboseLogging As Number

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
Version As String (read-only)

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

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Methods

AddDefaultNameservers
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
AddNameserver(ipAddr As String, supportsTls As Number)
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
GetNameserver(index As Number) As String
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 .NULL. on failure

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Query
Query(recordType As String, domain As String, answer As ChilkatJsonObject) As Number
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)
QueryAsync(recordType As String, domain As String, answer As ChilkatJsonObject) As ChilkatTask
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Creates an asynchronous task to call the Query method with the arguments provided.

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 .NULL. on failure

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RemoveAllNameservers
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
RemoveNameserver(ipAddr As String)
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

A Visual FoxPro application receives Chilkat ActiveX events by defining a class that IMPLEMENTS the _IChilkatEvents interface, creating an instance of it, and binding that instance to the Chilkat object with EVENTHANDLER(). Visual FoxPro requires the class to implement every method of the interface, so the class below includes a PROCEDURE for each event; leave the ones you do not need empty. The TextData and BinaryData events are defunct: they are deprecated and are never called, but their procedures must still exist because the interface declares them.

Important: Event callbacks from asynchronous method calls are generally not possible from the ActiveX. Events fire during synchronous method calls.

dnsEventHandler = CREATEOBJECT("MyDnsEvents")
loDns = CreateObject('Chilkat.Dns')
EVENTHANDLER(loDns, dnsEventHandler)

DEFINE CLASS MyDnsEvents AS SESSION OLEPUBLIC
IMPLEMENTS _IChilkatEvents IN "Chilkat.Dns"

PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_AbortCheck(abort As Number)
? "AbortCheck"
ENDPROC

* The BinaryData event is defunct: it is deprecated and is never called.
* The procedure must exist because the interface declares it, but it can be left empty.
PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_BinaryData(data As Variant)
ENDPROC

PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_PercentDone(pctDone As Number, abort As Number)
? "PercentDone"
ENDPROC

PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_ProgressInfo(name As String, value As String)
? "ProgressInfo"
ENDPROC

PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_TaskCompleted(task As Generic)
? "TaskCompleted"
ENDPROC

* The TextData event is defunct: it is deprecated and is never called.
* The procedure must exist because the interface declares it, but it can be left empty.
PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_TextData(data As String)
ENDPROC


ENDDEFINE

AbortCheck
AbortCheck(abort As Number)

Enables a method call to be aborted by triggering the AbortCheck event at intervals defined by the HeartbeatMs property. If HeartbeatMs is set to its default value of 0, no events will occur. For instance, set HeartbeatMs to 200 to trigger 5 AbortCheck events per second.

More Information and Examples

FoxPro event implementation:

* Add to the MyDnsEvents class shown in the Events overview above.
PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_AbortCheck(abort As Number)
    * Set abort to 1 to abort the method in progress.
ENDPROC
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PercentDone
PercentDone(pctDone As Number, abort As Number)

This provides the percentage completion for any method involving network communications or time-consuming processing, assuming the progress can be measured as a percentage. This event is triggered only when it's possible and logical to express the operation's progress as a percentage. The pctDone argument will range from 1 to 100. For methods that finish quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks may vary, but the final callback will have pctDone equal to 100. For longer operations, callbacks will not exceed one per percentage point (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ..., 98, 99, 100).

The PercentDone callback also acts as an AbortCheck event. For fast methods where PercentDone fires, an AbortCheck event may not trigger since the PercentDone callback already provides an opportunity to abort. For longer operations, where time between PercentDone callbacks is extended, AbortCheck callbacks enable more responsive operation termination.

To abort the operation, set the abort output argument to 1. This will cause the method to terminate and return a failure status or corresponding failure value.

More Information and Examples

FoxPro event implementation:

* Add to the MyDnsEvents class shown in the Events overview above.
PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_PercentDone(pctDone As Number, abort As Number)
    * pctDone ranges from 1 to 100.  Set abort to 1 to abort the method in progress.
ENDPROC
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ProgressInfo
ProgressInfo(name As String, value As String)

This event callback provides tag name/value pairs that detail what occurs during a method call. To discover existing tag names, create code to handle the event, emit the pairs, and review them. Most tag names are self-explanatory.

Note: Some Chilkat methods don't fire any ProgressInfo events.

More Information and Examples

FoxPro event implementation:

* Add to the MyDnsEvents class shown in the Events overview above.
PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_ProgressInfo(name As String, value As String)
    ? name + ": " + value
ENDPROC
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TaskCompleted
TaskCompleted(task As ChilkatTask)

Called from the background thread when an asynchronous task completes.

FoxPro event implementation:

* Add to the MyDnsEvents class shown in the Events overview above.
PROCEDURE _IChilkatEvents_TaskCompleted(task As Generic)
    * task is the Task object that has completed.
ENDPROC
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