TChilkatSecrets Delphi ActiveX Reference Documentation

TChilkatSecrets

Current Version: 10.1.0

Provides a unified API for managing secrets stored in the following locations:

  • Windows Credentials Manager
  • Apple Keychain
  • AWS Secrets Manager
  • Azure Key Vault
  • IBM Cloud Secrets Manager
  • Oracle Cloud Secrets
  • Doppler Secrets
  • In-Memory Secrets

Importing the Chilkat ActiveX into Delphi

Important: When upgrading to a new version of Chilkat, make sure to re-imported ActiveX DLL into Delphi to regenerate the files described below.


Chilkat v9.5.*: If using Chilkat v9.5.*, then use "Chilkat_v9_5_0_TLB" instead of "Chilkat_TLB", and the DLLs are named ChilkatAx-9.5.0-win32.dll (or ChilkatAx-9.5.0-x64.dll).


Two things are required to use an ActiveX in Delphi:

  1. The ActiveX DLL needs to be registered via regsvr32 on the system where the Delphi application runs. See How To Register ActiveX DLLs for detailed information.
  2. See also: ActiveX Registration Tutorial
  3. The ActiveX component needs to be "imported". Use the Delphi Import Component Wizard to import the Chilkat type library. This creates the following files: Chilkat_TLB.pas and Chilkat_TLB.dcr. The Chilkat_TLB.pas should be added to your project.

To import the Chilkat type library, do the following:

  1. In the Delphi RAD Studio, select the menu item "Component" --> "Import a Type Library".
  2. Find "Chilkat ActiveX" in the list and select it. This will only appear in the list if the ChilkatAx-win32.dll (or ChilkatAx-x64.dll) has been registered w/ regsvr32.
  3. Check the "Generate Component Wrappers" checkbox.
  4. Select a directory where the unit files (.pas and .dcr) should be generated.
  5. Select "Create Unit" and then "Finish".
  6. Add the .pas to your Delphi project.

To use a Chilkat ActiveX object in your Delphi code, add "Chilkat_TLB" to the "uses" statement. For example:

uses
  Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
  Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls, Chilkat_TLB;

Object Creation

var
obj: TChilkatSecrets;
...
begin
obj := TChilkatSecrets.Create(Self);
...
// When finished, free the object instance.
obj.Free();

Properties

AutoSplit
property AutoSplit: Integer
Introduced in version 10.1.0

The AutoSplit property is specific to "local_manager" secrets on Windows. The Windows Credentials Manager supports a maximum of 2560 bytes per secret. If a secret exceeds this size, it will be automatically compressed and split when created or updated, and automatically recomposed when retrieved.

A secret can be split into a maximum of 10 parts.

The default value is 1.

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Compression
property Compression: Integer
Introduced in version 10.1.0

If set to 1, then the contents of the secret will be stored compressed. The default value of this property is 0.

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DebugLogFilePath
property DebugLogFilePath: WideString

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.

More Information and Examples
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LastBinaryResult
property LastBinaryResult: OleVariant readonly

The binary data returned by the last (binary data returning) method called. Only available if Chilkat.Global.KeepBinaryResult is set to 1. This provides a means for obtaining large varbinary results in the SQL Server environment (where limitations exist in getting large amounts of data returned by method calls, but where temp tables can be used for binary properties).

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LastErrorHtml
property LastErrorHtml: WideString readonly

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.

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LastErrorText
property LastErrorText: WideString readonly

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.

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LastErrorXml
property LastErrorXml: WideString readonly

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.

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LastMethodSuccess
property LastMethodSuccess: Integer

Indicate whether the last method call succeeded or failed. A value of 1 indicates success, a value of 0 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 = 1 and failure = 0.
  • 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 1. For example, a method that returns no value (such as a "void" in C++) will technically always succeed.

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LastStringResult
property LastStringResult: WideString readonly

The string return value of the last (string returning) method called. Only available if Chilkat.Global.KeepStringResult is set to 1. This provides a means for obtaining large string results in the SQL Server environment (where limitations exist in getting long strings returned by method calls, but where temp tables can be used for string properties).

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LastStringResultLen
property LastStringResultLen: Integer readonly

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

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Location
property Location: WideString
Introduced in version 10.1.0

The location of the secrets. Possible values are:

  • "local_manager" - On Windows this is the Credentials Manager. On MacOS and iOS it is the Keychain. This is not yet an option on Linux or Android.
  • "aws_secrets_manager" - AWS Secrets Manager
  • "azure_key_vault" - Azure Key Vault
  • "ibm_cloud" - IBM Cloud Secrets Manager
  • "oracle_cloud" - Oracle Cloud Secrets
  • "doppler" - Doppler Secrets
  • "memory" - In-Memory Secrets

The default location is the "local_manager". On Linux and Android, "local_manager" will behave the same as "memory".

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UncommonOptions
property UncommonOptions: WideString
Introduced in version 10.1.0

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
property VerboseLogging: Integer

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
property Version: WideString readonly

Version of the component/library, such as "9.5.0.94"

More Information and Examples
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Methods

DeleteSecret
function DeleteSecret(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Deletes a secret. Cloud secrets managers will typically disable the secret and schedule the secret for deletion after some number of days.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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DeleteSecretAsync (1)
function DeleteSecretAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the DeleteSecret method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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GetSecretBd
function GetSecretBd(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; bd: TChilkatBinData): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Fetches a binary secret and returns the content in bd.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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GetSecretBdAsync (1)
function GetSecretBdAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; bd: TChilkatBinData): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the GetSecretBd method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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GetSecretJson
function GetSecretJson(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; jsonOut: TChilkatJsonObject): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Fetches a JSON secret and returns the content in jsonOut.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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GetSecretJsonAsync (1)
function GetSecretJsonAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; jsonOut: TChilkatJsonObject): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the GetSecretJson method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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GetSecretSb
function GetSecretSb(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; sb: TChilkatStringBuilder): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Fetches a string secret and returns the content in sb.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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GetSecretSbAsync (1)
function GetSecretSbAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; sb: TChilkatStringBuilder): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the GetSecretSb method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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GetSecretStr
function GetSecretStr(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject): WideString;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Fetches a string secret and returns the content of the secret.

Returns a zero-length WideString on failure

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GetSecretStrAsync (1)
function GetSecretStrAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the GetSecretStr method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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ListSecrets
function ListSecrets(json: TChilkatJsonObject; jsonOut: TChilkatJsonObject): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Lists secrets matching the wildcarded or exact values passed in json. The results of the query are returned in jsonOut.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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ListSecretsAsync (1)
function ListSecretsAsync(json: TChilkatJsonObject; jsonOut: TChilkatJsonObject): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the ListSecrets method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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SetBootstrapSecret
function SetBootstrapSecret(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; secretContent: TChilkatSecrets): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Accessing a cloud-based secrets manager requires authentication credentials, which cannot be stored in the manager itself. Instead, they must be securely stored locally.

One solution is to store the authentication credentials as a secret in the Windows Credentials Manager or Apple Keychain. These credentials serve as the "bootstrap secret" for authenticating with the cloud-based secrets manager.

jsonId contains the name of the bootstrap secret. secretContent contains the bootstrap's secret content.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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UpdateSecretBd
function UpdateSecretBd(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; secret: TChilkatBinData): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates a binary secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the binary content of the secret in secret.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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UpdateSecretBdAsync (1)
function UpdateSecretBdAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; secret: TChilkatBinData): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UpdateSecretBd method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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UpdateSecretJson
function UpdateSecretJson(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; secret: TChilkatJsonObject): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates a JSON secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the JSON content of the secret in secret.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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UpdateSecretJsonAsync (1)
function UpdateSecretJsonAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; secret: TChilkatJsonObject): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UpdateSecretJson method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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UpdateSecretSb
function UpdateSecretSb(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; sb: TChilkatStringBuilder): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates a string secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the string content of the secret in sb.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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UpdateSecretSbAsync (1)
function UpdateSecretSbAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; sb: TChilkatStringBuilder): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UpdateSecretSb method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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UpdateSecretStr
function UpdateSecretStr(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; secret: WideString): Integer;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates a string secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the string content of the secret in secret.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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UpdateSecretStrAsync (1)
function UpdateSecretStrAsync(jsonId: TChilkatJsonObject; secret: WideString): TChilkatTask;
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UpdateSecretStr method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

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 nil on failure

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Events

AbortCheck
procedure AbortCheck(ASender: TObject; out abort: Integer);

Provides the opportunity for a method call to be aborted. The AbortCheck event is fired periodically based on the value of the HeartbeatMs property. If HeartbeatMs is 0, then no AbortCheck events will fire. As an example, to fire 5 AbortCheck events per second, set the HeartbeatMs property equal to 200.

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.secretsAbortCheck(ASender: TObject;  out abort: Integer);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  secrets: TChilkatSecrets;

begin
  secrets := TChilkatSecrets.Create(Self);
  secrets.OnAbortCheck := secretsAbortCheck;
  // ...
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PercentDone
procedure PercentDone(ASender: TObject; pctDone: Integer; out abort: Integer);

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 event is only fired 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 operations (Chilkat method calls) 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).

The PercentDone callback counts as an AbortCheck event. For method calls that complete quickly such that PercentDone events fire, it may be that AbortCheck events don't fire because the opportunity to abort is already provided in the PercentDone callback. For time consuming operations, where the amount of time between PercentDone callbacks are long, AbortCheck callbacks may be used to allow for the operation to be aborted in a more responsive manner.

The abort output argument provides a means for aborting the operation. Setting it to 1 will cause the method to abort and return a failed status (or whatever return value indicates failure).

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.secretsPercentDone(ASender: TObject;  pctDone: Integer; out abort: Integer);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  secrets: TChilkatSecrets;

begin
  secrets := TChilkatSecrets.Create(Self);
  secrets.OnPercentDone := secretsPercentDone;
  // ...
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ProgressInfo
procedure ProgressInfo(ASender: TObject; const name: WideString; const value: WideString);

A general name/value event that provides information about what is happening during a method call. To find out what information is available, write code to handle this event and log the name/value pairs. Most are self-explanatory.

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.secretsProgressInfo(ASender: TObject;  const name: WideString; const value: WideString);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  secrets: TChilkatSecrets;

begin
  secrets := TChilkatSecrets.Create(Self);
  secrets.OnProgressInfo := secretsProgressInfo;
  // ...
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TaskCompleted
procedure TaskCompleted(ASender: TObject; const task: IChilkatTask);

Called in the background thread when an asynchronous task completes.

More Information and Examples

Delphi ActiveX Event callback implementation:

procedure TForm1.secretsTaskCompleted(ASender: TObject;  const task: IChilkatTask);
begin
    // Application code goes here...
end;


procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  secrets: TChilkatSecrets;

begin
  secrets := TChilkatSecrets.Create(Self);
  secrets.OnTaskCompleted := secretsTaskCompleted;
  // ...
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