Dns Lua Reference Documentation

chilkat.Dns

Current Version: 11.7.0

Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs

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

local chilkat = require("chilkat")

local dns = chilkat.Dns.new()
local dns = chilkat.Dns.new()

Creates the object (chilkat.Dns() does the same). Lua's garbage collector frees it when it is no longer referenced; dns:dispose() frees it at once, and in Lua 5.4 and later local dns <close> = chilkat.Dns.new() frees it when the block ends. Calling a method of a disposed object raises an error.

Errors

A method that fails returns nil followed by the error text, as io.open does: local body, err = dns:method(...), where err is the object's last_error_text. Wrap the call in assert() to raise an error with that text instead. Methods that answer a question return true or false, numbers are returned as they are (check last_method_success where the description says a value means failure), and property reads and writes never fail for Chilkat reasons.

Misuse raises a Lua error: a wrong argument type or a missing argument (bad argument #1 to ...), an unknown property name, a write to a read-only property, an out-of-range integer, or an object of the wrong class.

Names are Chilkat's in snake_case: QuickGetStr is quick_get_str, LastErrorText is last_error_text. Properties are fields (dns.verbose_logging = true) and methods use the colon (dns:method(...)). Strings are UTF-8; binary data is a Lua string of bytes. Indexes are 0-based, as in every Chilkat API. Unlocking: call chilkat.unlock_bundle("...") once at startup.

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
-- strVal is a string
local strVal = dns.debug_log_file_path
dns.debug_log_file_path = strVal

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.

More Information and Examples
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HeartbeatMs
-- intVal is an integer
local intVal = dns.heartbeat_ms
dns.heartbeat_ms = intVal
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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LastErrorHtml
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = dns.last_error_html

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
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = dns.last_error_text

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
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = dns.last_error_xml

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
-- boolVal is a boolean
local boolVal = dns.last_method_success
dns.last_method_success = boolVal

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false 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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MaxWaitMs
-- intVal is an integer
local intVal = dns.max_wait_ms
dns.max_wait_ms = intVal
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
-- intVal is an integer (read-only)
local intVal = dns.num_nameservers
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
-- intVal is an integer
local intVal = dns.tls_pref
dns.tls_pref = intVal
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 true.

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UncommonOptions
-- strVal is a string
local strVal = dns.uncommon_options
dns.uncommon_options = strVal
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
-- boolVal is a boolean
local boolVal = dns.verbose_logging
dns.verbose_logging = boolVal

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.

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Version
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = dns.version

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

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Methods

AddDefaultNameservers
dns:add_default_nameservers()
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
-- ip_addr is a string
-- supports_tls is a boolean
dns:add_nameserver(ip_addr, supports_tls)
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 ip_addr specifies the IPv4 address of the nameserver. The supports_tls 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
-- index is an integer
-- str is a string, or nil and err on failure
local str, err = dns:get_nameserver(index)
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 the string, or nil, err on failure (or when nothing is found). The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.

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Query
-- record_type is a string
-- domain is a string
-- answer is a chilkat.JsonObject
-- flag is true or false
local flag = dns:query(record_type, domain, answer)
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 record_type and can be A, AAAA, ALIAS, CAA, MX, NS, SOA, TXT. Additional record types can be added as needed.

Returns true or false: an answer, not a success flag.

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RemoveAllNameservers
dns:remove_all_nameservers()
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
-- ip_addr is a string
dns:remove_nameserver(ip_addr)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

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

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Events

All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a long-running call, chilkat.Dns reports progress to the functions given to set_event_handler, in a table keyed by event name (plain functions, not methods: closures carry whatever state they need):

dns:set_event_handler({
    percent_done  = function(pct) print(pct .. "%") end,              -- return true to abort
    progress_info = function(name, value) print(name, value) end,
})
dns.heartbeat_ms = 250   -- abort_check is called 4 times per second
dns:set_event_handler({ event_name = function(...) ... end, ... })

Installs the handlers, replacing any installed before; dns:set_event_handler(nil) removes them. The event names are checked when the table is installed: a misspelled one raises an error.

The abort_check handler is called at the interval set by the heartbeat_ms property (0, the default, disables it); percent_done is called when an operation's completion percentage is known; progress_info delivers named progress values. A true return from abort_check or percent_done aborts the running method, which then fails in the usual way (nil, err). An error raised in a handler aborts the method and is raised again from the method call; the object remains usable.

AbortCheck
-- handler: function() ... return abort end -- a true return aborts the method in progress
dns:set_event_handler({ abort_check = function() ... end })

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

Example

local deadline = os.time() + 30                  -- give up after 30 seconds
dns.heartbeat_ms = 250                      -- call the handler 4 times per second
dns:set_event_handler({ abort_check = function() return os.time() > deadline end })
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PercentDone
-- handler: function(pct_done) ... return abort end -- a true return aborts
dns:set_event_handler({ percent_done = function(pct_done) ... end })

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 true. This will cause the method to terminate and return a failure status or corresponding failure value.

More Information and Examples

Example

dns:set_event_handler({
    percent_done = function(pct_done)     -- 0 to 100
        print("Percent done: " .. pct_done)
        return false                       -- return true to abort the method in progress
    end,
})
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ProgressInfo
-- handler: function(name, value) ... end
dns:set_event_handler({ progress_info = function(name, value) ... end })

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

Example

dns:set_event_handler({
    progress_info = function(name, value) print(name .. ": " .. value) end,
})
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