SecureString Xbase++ Reference Documentation

SecureString

Current Version: 11.6.0

Chilkat.SecureString

Store, append, compare, hash, verify, and securely access sensitive string values.

Chilkat.SecureString holds sensitive text in an encrypted in-memory form while still allowing controlled operations on the value. It can append clear-text strings, append text from a StringBuilder, append another SecureString, load text from a file, return the clear-text value when needed, compare secure strings, mark the value read-only, maintain a hash of the current value, and verify a supplied hash against that maintained value.

Encrypted in-memory value

Store sensitive text in a form that is decrypted only when needed for access, modification, comparison, or hashing.

Append safely

Append clear-text strings, StringBuilder content, or another SecureString; the value is then re-encrypted.

Read-only protection

Set ReadOnly to prevent later modification of the secure string.

Hash maintenance

Set MaintainHash to a supported hash algorithm such as sha256, sha512, sha1, or md5.

Hash output and verification

Retrieve the current hash value in an encoding such as hex or Base64, or verify a supplied encoded hash with VerifyHash.

Compare and access

Compare two secure strings with SecStrEquals, or call Access when the clear-text value is required.

Common pattern: Create a SecureString, load or append the sensitive text, set MaintainHash if later verification is needed, and optionally set ReadOnly after the final value is established. Use Access only at the point where the clear-text string is actually needed, and check LastErrorText if an append, file load, hash, or verification operation fails.
Hash note: VerifyHash depends on MaintainHash having already been set so the object maintains an internal hash for the current secure string value.

Object Creation

LOCAL oSecureString
oSecureString := CreateObject("Chilkat.SecureString")

// ... use oSecureString ...

oSecureString:destroy()

Xbase++ uses the Chilkat ActiveX through the automation object returned by CreateObject(); properties and methods are accessed with the send operator (oHttp:ConnectTimeout := 30, oHttp:Download(cUrl, cPath)), and :destroy() releases the object. Register the Chilkat ActiveX matching the bitness of your Xbase++ application. To bind to a specific major version of Chilkat, append the major version number to the ProgID, such as CreateObject("Chilkat.SecureString.11") for Chilkat v11.*.*.

Boolean properties, arguments and return values are integers in the ActiveX: pass 1 or 0, and test a method's success with == 1. A method that fails to return an object returns NIL. Objects returned by methods (such as an HttpResponse or JsonObject) are automation objects too and should likewise be released with :destroy(). Methods and properties that pass or return raw byte arrays are not shown on this page; use the BinData-based alternatives (methods ending in Bd) or the base64 / hex string-encoded variants instead.

Properties

DebugLogFilePath
oSecureString:DebugLogFilePath // Character

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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LastErrorHtml
oSecureString:LastErrorHtml // Character (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
oSecureString:LastErrorText // Character (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
oSecureString:LastErrorXml // Character (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
oSecureString:LastMethodSuccess // Numeric

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
oSecureString:LastStringResult // Character (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
oSecureString:LastStringResultLen // Numeric (read-only)

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

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MaintainHash
oSecureString:MaintainHash // Character
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

If set to the name of a hash algorithm, then a hash of the current string value is maintained. This allows for the hash to be verified via the VerifyHash method. Possible hash algorithm names are sha1, sha256, sha384, sha512, md5, md2, ripemd160, ripemd128,ripemd256, and ripemd320.

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ReadOnly
oSecureString:ReadOnly // Numeric
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Can be set to 1 to make this secure string read-only (cannot be modified).

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VerboseLogging
oSecureString:VerboseLogging // Numeric

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
oSecureString:Version // Character (read-only)

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

More Information and Examples
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Methods

Access
cResult := oSecureString:Access() // returns Character
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Returns the clear-text string value.

Returns NIL on failure

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Append
nSuccess := oSecureString:Append(cStr) // returns Numeric (1/0)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Appends a clear-text string to this secure string. The in-memory data will be decrypted, the string will be appended, and then it will be re-encrypted. Can return 0 if the string has been marked as read-only via the ReadOnly property.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AppendSb
nSuccess := oSecureString:AppendSb(oSb) // returns Numeric (1/0)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Appends a clear-text string contained in a StringBuilder to this secure string. The in-memory data will be decrypted, the string will be appended, and then it will be re-encrypted. Can return 0 if the string has been marked as read-only via the ReadOnly property.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AppendSecure
nSuccess := oSecureString:AppendSecure(oSecStr) // returns Numeric (1/0)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Appends the contents of a secure string to this secure string. The in-memory data will be decrypted, the secure string will be appended, and then it will be re-encrypted. Can return 0 if this string has been marked as read-only via the ReadOnly property.

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HashVal
cResult := oSecureString:HashVal(cEncoding) // returns Character
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Returns the hash value for the current value of this secure string. The encoding specifies the encoding to be used. It can be any of the binary encoding algorithms, such as base64, hex, and many more listed at Chilkat Binary Encodings

Returns NIL on failure

More Information and Examples
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LoadFile
nSuccess := oSecureString:LoadFile(cPath, cCharset) // returns Numeric (1/0)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Loads the contents of a file into this secure string. The current contents of this object are replaced with the new text from the file.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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SecStrEquals
nSuccess := oSecureString:SecStrEquals(oSecStr) // returns Numeric (1/0)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Returns 1 if the secStr equals the contents of this secure string.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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VerifyHash
nSuccess := oSecureString:VerifyHash(cHashVal, cEncoding) // returns Numeric (1/0)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Verifies the hashVal against the hash value stored for the current value of this secure string. The MaintainHash property must've previously been set for this secure string to maintain an internal hash. The encoding specifies the encoding of the hashVal. It can be any of the binary encoding algorithms, such as base64, hex, and many more listed at Chilkat Binary Encodings

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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