TChilkatXmlDSig Delphi ActiveX Reference Documentation

TChilkatXmlDSig

Current Version: 9.5.0.97

An API for validating XML Digital Signatures. Use the XmlDSigGen class for creating XML Digital Signatures.

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.

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_v9_5_0_TLB.pas and Chilkat_v9_5_0_TLB.dcr. The Chilkat_v9_5_0_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 v9.5.0" in the list and select it. This will only appear in the list if the ChilkatAx-9.5.0-win32.dll (or ChilkatAx-9.5.0-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_v9_5_0_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_v9_5_0_TLB;

Object Creation

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

Properties

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.

top
ExternalRefDirs
property ExternalRefDirs: WideString
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

May contain a set of directory paths specifying where referenced external files are located. Directory paths should be separated using a semicolon character. The default value of this property is the empty string which means no directories are automatically searched.

This property can be used if the external file referenced in the XML signature has the same filename as the file in the local filesystem.

More Information and Examples
top
IgnoreExternalRefs
property IgnoreExternalRefs: Integer
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

If 1, then ignore failures caused by external references not being available. This allows for the XML signature to be at least partially validated if the external referenced files are not available. The default value of this property is 0.

top
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).

top
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.

top
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.

top
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.

top
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.

top
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).

top
LastStringResultLen
property LastStringResultLen: Integer readonly

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

top
NumReferences
property NumReferences: Integer readonly
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

The number of data objects referenced in the XML digital signature. A data object may be self-contained within the loaded XML signature, or it may be an external URI reference. An application can check each reference to see if it's external by calling IsReferenceExternal, and can get each reference URI by calling ReferenceUri.

top
NumSignatures
property NumSignatures: Integer readonly
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

The number of digital signatures found within the loaded XML. Each digital signature is composed of XML having the following structure:

  <Signature ID?> 
     <SignedInfo>
       <CanonicalizationMethod/>
       <SignatureMethod/>
       (<Reference URI? >
         (<Transforms>)?
         <DigestMethod>
         <DigestValue>
       </Reference>)+
     </SignedInfo>
     <SignatureValue> 
    (<KeyInfo>)?
    (<Object ID?>)*
 </Signature>
Note: The "Signature" and other XML tags may be namespace prefixed.

The Selector property is used to select which XML signature is in effect when validating or calling other methods or properties.

More Information and Examples
top
RefFailReason
property RefFailReason: Integer readonly
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

Indicates the failure reason for the last call to VerifyReferenceDigest. Possible values are:

  • 0: No failure, the reference digest was valid.
  • 1: The computed digest differs from the digest stored in the XML.
  • 2: An external file is referenced, but it is unavailable for computing the digest.
  • 3: The index argument passed to VerifyReferenceDigest was out of range.
  • 4: Unable to find the Signature.
  • 5: A transformation specified some sort of XML canonicalization that is not supported.
  • 99: Unknown. (Should never get this value.)

top
Selector
property Selector: Integer
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

If the loaded XML contains multiple signatures, this property can be set to specify which signature is in effect when calling other methods or properties. In most cases, the loaded XML contains a single signature and this property will remain at the default value of 0.

More Information and Examples
top
UncommonOptions
property UncommonOptions: WideString
Introduced in version 9.5.0.90

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

top
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.

top
Version
property Version: WideString readonly

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

More Information and Examples
top

Methods

AddEncapsulatedTimeStamp
function AddEncapsulatedTimeStamp(json: TChilkatJsonObject; sbOut: TChilkatStringBuilder): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.90

Adds an EncapsulatedTimeStamp to the signature indicated by the Selector property. The updated signed XML with the added EncapsulatedTimeStamp is returned in sbOut. See the example below for details.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top
CanonicalizeFragment
function CanonicalizeFragment(xml: WideString; fragmentId: WideString; version: WideString; prefixList: WideString; withComments: Integer): WideString;

Applies XML canonicalization to a fragment of the passed-in XML, and returns the canonicalized XML string. The fragmentId identifies the XML element where output begins. It is the XML element having an "id" attribute equal to fragmentId. The version may be one of the following:

  • "C14N" -- for Inclusive Canonical XML
  • "EXCL_C14N" -- for Exclusive Canonical XML

The prefixList only applies when the version is set to "EXCL_C14N". The prefixList may be an empty string, or a SPACE separated list of namespace prefixes. It is the InclusiveNamespaces PrefixList, which is the list of namespaces that are propagated from ancestor elements for canonicalization purposes.

If withComments is 1, then XML comments are included in the output. If withComments is 0, then XML comments are excluded from the output.

Returns a zero-length WideString on failure

More Information and Examples
top
CanonicalizeXml
function CanonicalizeXml(xml: WideString; version: WideString; withComments: Integer): WideString;

Applies XML canonicalization to the passed-in XML, and returns the canonicalized XML string. The version may be one of the following:

  • "C14N" -- for Inclusive Canonical XML
  • "EXCL_C14N" -- for Exclusive Canonical XML

If withComments is 1, then XML comments are included in the output. If withComments is 0, then XML comments are excluded from the output.

Returns a zero-length WideString on failure

top
GetCerts
function GetCerts(sa: TCkStringArray): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.76

Returns the certificates found in the signature indicated by the Selector property. The base64 representation of each certificate is returned.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
GetKeyInfo
function GetKeyInfo(): TChilkatXml;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Returns the KeyInfo XML for the signature indicated by the Selector property. Returns nil if no KeyInfo exists.

Returns nil on failure

More Information and Examples
top
GetPublicKey
function GetPublicKey(): TPublicKey;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Returns the public key from the KeyInfo XML for the signature indicated by the Selector property. Returns nil if no KeyInfo exists, or if no public key is actually contained in the KeyInfo.

Returns nil on failure

top
HasEncapsulatedTimeStamp
function HasEncapsulatedTimeStamp(): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.90

Returns 1 if the signature indicated by the Selector property contains an EncapsulatedTimeStamp. Otherwise returns 0.

top
IsReferenceExternal
function IsReferenceExternal(index: Integer): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Returns 1 if the reference at index is external. Each external reference would first need to be provided by the application prior to validating the signature.

top
LoadSignature
function LoadSignature(xmlSig: WideString): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Loads an XML document containing 1 or more XML digital signatures. An application would first load XML containing digital signature(s), then validate. After loading, it is also possible to use various methods and properties to get information about the signature, such as the key info, references, etc. If external data is referenced by the signature, it may be necessary to provide the referenced data prior to validating.

Note: When loading an XML document, the Selector property is automatically reset to 0, and the NumSignatures property is set to the number of XML digital signatures found.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top
LoadSignatureBd
function LoadSignatureBd(binData: TChilkatBinData): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Loads an XML document containing one or more XML digital signatures from the contents of a BinData object. An application would first load the XML, then validate. After loading, it is also possible to use various methods and properties to get information about the signature, such as the key info, references, etc. If external data is referenced by the signature, it may be necessary to provide the referenced data prior to validating.

Note: When loading an XML document, the Selector property is automatically reset to 0, and the NumSignatures property is set to the number of XML digital signatures found.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
LoadSignatureSb
function LoadSignatureSb(sbXmlSig: TChilkatStringBuilder): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Loads an XML document containing one or more XML digital signatures from the contents of a StringBuilder object. An application would first load the XML, then validate. After loading, it is also possible to use various methods and properties to get information about the signature, such as the key info, references, etc. If external data is referenced by the signature, it may be necessary to provide the referenced data prior to validating.

Note: When loading an XML document, the Selector property is automatically reset to 0, and the NumSignatures property is set to the number of XML digital signatures found.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
ReferenceUri
function ReferenceUri(index: Integer): WideString;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Returns the URI of the Nth reference specified by index. (The 1st reference is at index 0.) URI's beginning with a pound sign ('#') are internal references.

Returns a zero-length WideString on failure

top
SetHmacKey
function SetHmacKey(key: WideString; encoding: WideString): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Sets the HMAC key to be used if the Signature used an HMAC signing algorithm. The encoding specifies the encoding of key, and can be "hex", "base64", "ascii", or any of the binary encodings supported by Chilkat in the link below.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top
SetHttpObj
procedure SetHttpObj(http: TChilkatHttp);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.90

Sets the HTTP object to be used to communicate with OCSP responders, CRL distribution points, or timestamp authority (TSA) servers if needed. The http is used to send the requests, and it allows for connection related settings and timeouts to be set. For example, if HTTP or SOCKS proxies are required, these features can be specified on the http.

top
SetPublicKey
function SetPublicKey(pubKey: TPublicKey): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Sets the public key to be used for verifying the signature indicated by the Selector property. A public key only needs to be explicitly provided by the application for those XML signatures where the public key is not already available within the KeyInfo of the Signature. In some cases, the KeyInfo within the Signature contains information about what public key was used for signing. The application can use this information to retrieve the matching public key and provide it via this method.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
SetRefDataBd
function SetRefDataBd(index: Integer; binData: TChilkatBinData): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Provides the binary data for the external reference at index.

top
SetRefDataFile
function SetRefDataFile(index: Integer; path: WideString): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Provides the data for the external reference at index. When validating the signature, the data contained in path will be streamed to compute the digest for validation.

top
SetRefDataSb
function SetRefDataSb(index: Integer; sb: TChilkatStringBuilder; charset: WideString): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Provides the text data for the external reference at index. The charset specifies the byte representation of the text, such as "utf-8", "utf-16", "windows-1252", etc. (If in doubt, try utf-8 first.)

top
UseCertVault
function UseCertVault(certVault: TChilkatXmlCertVault): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Adds an XML certificate vault to the object's internal list of sources to be searched for certificates having public keys when verifying an XML signature. A single XML certificate vault may be used. If UseCertVault is called multiple times, only the last certificate vault will be used, as each call to UseCertVault will replace the certificate vault provided in previous calls.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top
VerifyReferenceDigest
function VerifyReferenceDigest(index: Integer): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

This method allows for an application to verify the digest for each reference separately. This can be helpful if the full XMLDSIG validation fails, then one can test each referenced data's digest to see which, if any, fail to match.

top
VerifySignature
function VerifySignature(verifyReferenceDigests: Integer): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Verifies the signature indicated by the Selector property. If verifyReferenceDigests is 1, then the digest of each Reference within the signature's SignedInfo is also validated.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

top