Pem C Reference Documentation
Pem
Current Version: 10.0.0
For creating, loading, parsing, converting, and saving in the PEM format.
Note: There are many types of objects that can be stored in PEM format. Chilkat supports certificates, private keys, and public keys. There is still much more to do. If there is a need to support a particular type of content, contact Chilkat (support@chilkatsoft.com).
Create/Dispose
HCkPem instance = CkPem_Create(); // ... CkPem_Dispose(instance);
Creates an instance of the HCkPem object and returns a handle ("void *" pointer). The handle is passed in the 1st argument for the functions listed on this page.
Objects created by calling CkPem_Create must be freed by calling this method. A memory leak occurs if a handle is not disposed by calling this function. Also, any handle returned by a Chilkat "C" function must also be freed by the application by calling the appropriate Dispose method, such as CkPem_Dispose.
Callback Functions
Provides the opportunity for a method call to be aborted. If TRUE is returned, the operation in progress is aborted. Return FALSE to allow the current method call to continue. This callback function is called periodically based on the value of the HeartbeatMs property. (If HeartbeatMs is 0, then no callbacks are made.) As an example, to make 5 AbortCheck callbacks per second, set the HeartbeatMs property equal to 200.
See Also:C Example using Callback Functions
Provides the percentage completed for any method that involves network communications or time-consuming processing (assuming it is a method where a percentage completion can be measured). This callback is only called when it is possible to know a percentage completion, and when it makes sense to express the operation as a percentage completed. The pctDone argument will have a value from 1 to 100. For methods that complete very quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks will vary, but the final callback should have a value of 100. For long running operations, no more than one callback per percentage point will occur (for example: 1, 2, 3, ... 98, 99, 100).
This callback counts as an AbortCheck callback, and takes the place of the AbortCheck event when it fires.
The return value indicates whether the method call should be aborted, or whether it should proceed. Return TRUE to abort, and FALSE to proceed.
This is a general callback that provides name/value information about what is happening at certain points during a method call. To see the information provided in ProgressInfo callbacks, if any, write code to handle this event and log the name/value pairs. Most are self-explanatory.
Called in the background thread when an asynchronous task completes. (Note: When an async method is running, all callbacks are in the background thread.)
Properties
AppendMode
void CkPem_putAppendMode(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL newVal);
When set to TRUE, each of the Load* methods appends to the current contents of this PEM object. When set to FALSE, a Load* method replaces the contents of this PEM object. The default is FALSE.
topDebugLogFilePath
void CkPem_putDebugLogFilePath(HCkPem cHandle, const char *newVal);
const char *CkPem_debugLogFilePath(HCkPem cHandle);
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:
- a timeout related property was set to 0 to explicitly indicate that an infinite timeout is desired,
- the hang is actually a hang within an event callback (i.e. it is a hang within the application code), or
- there is an internal problem (bug) in the Chilkat code that causes the hang.
HeartbeatMs
void CkPem_putHeartbeatMs(HCkPem cHandle, int newVal);
This is the number of milliseconds between each AbortCheck event callback. The AbortCheck callback allows an application to abort any event-enabled methods prior to completion. If HeartbeatMs is 0 (the default), no AbortCheck event callbacks will fire.
topLastErrorHtml
const char *CkPem_lastErrorHtml(HCkPem cHandle);
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.
topLastErrorText
const char *CkPem_lastErrorText(HCkPem cHandle);
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.
LastErrorXml
const char *CkPem_lastErrorXml(HCkPem cHandle);
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.
topLastMethodSuccess
void CkPem_putLastMethodSuccess(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL newVal);
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.
topNumCerts
The number of certificates in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st certificate, call GetCert(0).
NumCrls
The number of certificate revocation lists (CRLs) in the loaded PEM.
NumCsrs
The number of certificate signing requests (CSRs) in the loaded PEM.
topNumPrivateKeys
The number of private keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st private key, call GetPrivateKey(0).
NumPublicKeys
The number of public keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st public key, call GetPublicKey(0).
topPrivateKeyFormat
void CkPem_putPrivateKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle, const char *newVal);
const char *CkPem_privateKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle);
Controls the format to be used for unencrypted private keys when writing a PEM. Possible values are "pkcs1" and "pkcs8". (OpenSSL typically uses the "pkcs8" format.) When writing encrypted private keys to PEM, the format is always PKCS8, and the PEM header is "BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY". The default is "pkcs8".
The PKCS1 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY.
The PKCS8 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN PRIVATE KEY.
PublicKeyFormat
void CkPem_putPublicKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle, const char *newVal);
const char *CkPem_publicKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle);
Controls the format to be used for public keys when writing a PEM. Possible values are "pkcs1" and "pkcs8". (OpenSSL typically uses the "pkcs8" format.) The default is "pkcs8".
The PKCS1 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY.
The PKCS8 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN PUBLIC KEY.
Utf8
void CkPem_putUtf8(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL newVal);
When set to TRUE, all "const char *" arguments are interpreted as utf-8 strings. If set to FALSE (the default), then "const char *" arguments are interpreted as ANSI strings. Also, when set to TRUE, and Chilkat method returning a "const char *" is returning the utf-8 representation. If set to FALSE, all "const char *" return values are ANSI strings.
topVerboseLogging
void CkPem_putVerboseLogging(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL newVal);
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.
topVersion
Methods
AddCert
Adds a certificate, and potentially the certs in its chain of authentication to the PEM. If includeChain is TRUE, then certificates in the cert's chain of authentication up to and including the root are automatically added.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
AddItem
Adds a certificate, private key, public key, or csr to the PEM. The possible values for itemType are "certificate" (or "cert"), "privateKey", "publicKey", or "csr". The encoding can be "Base64", "modBase64", "Base32", "QP" (for quoted-printable), "URL" (for url-encoding), "Hex", "url_oauth", "url_rfc1738", "url_rfc2396", and "url_rfc3986". The itemData contains the ASN.1 data in string format according to the encoding specified in encoding.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topAddPrivateKey
Adds a private key to the PEM object.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
AddPrivateKey2
Adds a private key and it's associated certificate chain to the PEM object.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topAddPublicKey
Clear
GetCert
Returns the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.
Returns NULL on failure
GetEncodedItem
const char *CkPem_getEncodedItem(HCkPem cHandle, const char *itemType, const char *itemSubType, const char *encoding, int index);
Returns the encoded contents of the Nth item of a particular type (0-based index). The possible values for itemType are "certificate" (or "cert"), "privateKey", "publicKey", or "csr". Input string args are case-insensitive. If the itemType is "privateKey", the itemSubType may be "der" or "pkcs8". If the itemType is "publicKey", the itemSubType may be "der" or "pkcs1". The itemSubType is ignored for other values of itemType. The valid encoding modes are "Base64", "modBase64", "Base32", "Base58", "QP" (for quoted-printable), "URL" (for url-encoding), "Hex", "url_oauth", "url_rfc1738", "url_rfc2396", and "url_rfc3986".
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topGetPrivateKey
Returns the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.
Returns NULL on failure
GetPublicKey
Returns the Nth public key from the PEM. The first public key is at index 0.
Returns NULL on failure
topLoadP7b
Loads the PEM from the contents of an in-memory PKCS7 container (.p7b).
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topLoadP7bAsync (1)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadP7b method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)
Returns NULL on failure
topLoadP7bFile
Loads the contents of a PKCS7 container (.p7b file).
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
LoadP7bFileAsync (1)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadP7bFile method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)
Returns NULL on failure
topLoadPem
Loads the PEM from a PEM string. If encrypted, then the password is required for decryption. Otherwise, an empty string (or any string) may be passed for the password.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topLoadPemAsync (1)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadPem method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)
Returns NULL on failure
topLoadPemFile
Loads the PEM from a PEM file. If encrypted, then the password is required for decryption. Otherwise, an empty string (or any string) may be passed for the password.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
LoadPemFileAsync (1)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadPemFile method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)
Returns NULL on failure
topLoadTaskCaller
RemoveCert
Removes the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topRemovePrivateKey
Removes the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topToJks
Converts the PEM to JKS and returns the Java KeyStore object. If the alias is non-empty, the 1st object (private key or certificate) will use the alias, and all others (if any) will receive auto-generated aliases. The JKS returned will be encrypted using the provided password. If the PEM contains only certificates (no private keys), then the password is unused.
Returns NULL on failure
ToPem
Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. The resultant PEM will contain the private key, as well as the certs in the chain of authentication (or whatever certs are available in the PFX). For example:
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- ... ... the private key associated with the main certificate. ... -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----- -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- ... ... the main certificate ... -----END CERTIFICATE----- -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- ... ... an intermediate CA certificate (if present) ... -----END CERTIFICATE----- -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- ... ... the root CA certificate ... -----END CERTIFICATE-----
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topToPemEx
const char *CkPem_toPemEx(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL extendedAttrs, BOOL noKeys, BOOL noCerts, BOOL noCaCerts, const char *encryptAlg, const char *password);
Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. If extendedAttrs is TRUE, then extended properties (Bag Attributes and Key Attributes) are output. If noKeys is TRUE, then no private keys are output. If noCerts is TRUE, then no certificates are output. If noCaCerts is TRUE, then no CA certs or intermediate CA certs are output. If encryptAlg is not empty, it indicates the encryption algorithm to be used for encrypting the private keys (otherwise the private keys are output unencrypted). The possible choices for the encryptAlg are "des3", "aes128", "aes192", and "aes256". (All encryption algorithm choices use CBC mode.) If the private keys are to be encrypted, then password is the password to be used. Otherwise, password may be left empty. For example:
Bag Attributes
Microsoft Local Key set: <No Values>
localKeyID: 01 00 00 00
friendlyName: le-2b09a3d2-9037-4a05-95cc-4d44518e8607
Microsoft CSP Name: Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider
Key Attributes
X509v3 Key Usage: 10
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
...
... the private key associated with the main certificate.
...
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
Bag Attributes
localKeyID: 01 00 00 00
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.92: 00 08 00 00
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.20: C2 53 54 F3 ...
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.71: 49 00 43 00 ...
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.75: 31 00 42 00 ...
subject=/OU=Domain Control Validated/OU=PositiveSSL/CN=something.com
issuer=/C=GB/ST=Greater Manchester/L=Salford/O=COMODO CA Limited/CN=COMODO RSA Domain Validation Secure Server CA
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... the main certificate
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
...
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... an intermediate CA certificate (if present)
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
...
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... the root CA certificate
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.
topToPfx
Converts the PEM to PKCS12 and returns the PFX object. The PFX object has method for saving to a file, exporting to an encoded string, converting to a JKS (Java Keystore), or even converting back to PEM.
Note: The PEM must contain at least one private key to convert to PKCS12. The typical case is that a PKCS12 contains a single private key, along with the associated certificate and the certificates in the chain of authentication.
Returns NULL on failure