CkCert PHP Extension Reference Documentation

CkCert

Current Version: 10.1.0

Digital certificate component / class

Object Creation

$obj = new CkCert();

Properties

AuthorityKeyId
(read-only)
string authorityKeyId();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

The authority key identifier of the certificate in base64 string format. This is only present if the certificate contains the extension OID 2.5.29.35.

top
AvoidWindowsPkAccess
bool get_AvoidWindowsPkAccess()
void put_AvoidWindowsPkAccess(bool boolVal);

Applies only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system. If true, then any method that returns a certificate will not try to also access the associated private key, assuming one exists. This is useful if the certificate was installed with high-security such that a private key access would trigger the Windows OS to display a security warning dialog. The default value of this property is false.

top
CertVersion
(read-only)
int get_CertVersion()

The version of the certificate (1, 2, or 3). A value of 0 indicates an error -- the most likely cause being that the certificate object is empty (i.e. was never loaded with a certificate). Note: This is not the version of the software, it is the version of the X.509 certificate object. The version of the Chilkat certificate software is indicated by the Version property.

top
CspName
(read-only)
string cspName();

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) If the HasKeyContainer property is true, then the certificate is linked to a key container and this property contains the name of the associated CSP (cryptographic service provider). When a certificate is linked to a key container , the following properties will provide information about the key container and private key: CspName, KeyContainerName, MachineKeyset, and Silent.

top
DebugLogFilePath
string debugLogFilePath();
void put_DebugLogFilePath(string strVal);

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
top
Expired
(read-only)
bool get_Expired()

Has a value of true if the certificate or any certificate in the chain of authority has expired. (This information is not available when running on Windows 95/98 computers.)

top
ExtendedKeyUsage
(read-only)
string extendedKeyUsage();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.85

Returns a string containing a comma separated list of keywords with the extended key usages of the certificate. The list of possible extended key usages are:

  • serverAuth - TLS WWW server authentication
  • clientAuth - TLS WWW client authentication
  • codeSigning - Signing of downloadable executable code
  • emailProtection - Email protection
  • timeStamping - Binding the hash of an object to a time
  • OCSPSigning - Signing OCSP responses

top
ForClientAuthentication
(read-only)
bool get_ForClientAuthentication()

true if this certificate can be used for client authentication, otherwise false.

top
ForCodeSigning
(read-only)
bool get_ForCodeSigning()

true if this certificate can be used for code signing, otherwise false.

top
ForSecureEmail
(read-only)
bool get_ForSecureEmail()

true if this certificate can be used for sending secure email, otherwise false.

top
ForServerAuthentication
(read-only)
bool get_ForServerAuthentication()

true if this certificate can be used for server authentication, otherwise false.

top
ForTimeStamping
(read-only)
bool get_ForTimeStamping()

true if this certificate can be used for time stamping, otherwise false.

top
HasKeyContainer
(read-only)
bool get_HasKeyContainer()

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Indicates whether this certificate is linked to a key container. If true then the certificate is linked to a key container (usually containing a private key). If false, then it is not.

When a certificate is linked to a key container , the following properties will provide information about the key container and private key: CspName, KeyContainerName, MachineKeyset, and Silent.

top
IntendedKeyUsage
(read-only)
int get_IntendedKeyUsage()

Bitflags indicating the intended usages of the certificate. The flags are:
Digital Signature: 0x80
Non-Repudiation: 0x40
Key Encipherment: 0x20
Data Encipherment: 0x10
Key Agreement: 0x08
Certificate Signing: 0x04
CRL Signing: 0x02
Encipher-Only: 0x01

top
IsRoot
(read-only)
bool get_IsRoot()

true if this is the root certificate, otherwise false.

top
IssuerC
(read-only)
string issuerC();

The certificate issuer's country.

top
IssuerCN
(read-only)
string issuerCN();

The certificate issuer's common name.

top
IssuerDN
(read-only)
string issuerDN();

The issuer's full distinguished name.

top
IssuerE
(read-only)
string issuerE();

The certificate issuer's email address.

top
IssuerL
(read-only)
string issuerL();

The certificate issuer's locality, which could be a city, count, township, or other geographic region.

top
IssuerO
(read-only)
string issuerO();

The certificate issuer's organization, which is typically the company name.

top
IssuerOU
(read-only)
string issuerOU();

The certificate issuer's organizational unit, which is the unit within the organization.

top
IssuerS
(read-only)
string issuerS();

The certificate issuer's state or province.

top
KeyContainerName
(read-only)
string keyContainerName();

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) If the HasKeyContainer property is true, then the certificate is linked to a key container and this property contains the name of the key container.

When a certificate is linked to a key container , the following properties will provide information about the key container and private key: CspName, KeyContainerName, MachineKeyset, and Silent.

top
LastErrorHtml
(read-only)
string lastErrorHtml();

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
(read-only)
string lastErrorText();

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
(read-only)
string lastErrorXml();

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
bool get_LastMethodSuccess()
void put_LastMethodSuccess(bool boolVal);

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.

top
MachineKeyset
(read-only)
bool get_MachineKeyset()

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) If the HasKeyContainer property is true, then the certificate is linked to a key container and this property indicates whether the key container is in the machine's keyset or in the keyset specific to the logged on user's account. If true, the key container is within the machine keyset. If false, it's in the user's keyset.

When a certificate is linked to a key container , the following properties will provide information about the key container and private key: CspName, KeyContainerName, MachineKeyset, and Silent.

top
OcspUrl
(read-only)
string ocspUrl();

If present in the certificate's extensions, returns the OCSP URL of the certificate. (The Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) is an Internet protocol used for obtaining the revocation status of an X.509 digital certificate.)

More Information and Examples
top
PrivateKeyExportable
(read-only)
bool get_PrivateKeyExportable()

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Indicates whether the private key was installed with security settings that allow it to be re-exported.

top
Revoked
(read-only)
bool get_Revoked()

true if the certificate or any certificate in the chain of authority has been revoked. This information is not available when running on Windows 95/98 computers. Note: If this property is false, it could mean that it was not able to check the revocation status. Because of this uncertainty, a CheckRevoked method has been added. It returns an integer indicating one of three possible states: 1 (revoked) , 0 (not revoked), -1 (unable to check revocation status).

top
Rfc822Name
(read-only)
string rfc822Name();

The RFC822 name of the certificate. (The RFC822 name is one part of the Subject Alternative Name extension of a certificate, if it exists. It is often the only part of the SAN.)

If the certificate contains a list of RFC822 names then this property will return the comma separated list of names.

Starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.85, to get the complete Subject Alternative Name extension as XML, use the SubjectAlternativeName property.

top
SelfSigned
(read-only)
bool get_SelfSigned()

true if this is a self-signed certificate, otherwise false.

top
SerialDecimal
(read-only)
string serialDecimal();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.75

The certificate's serial number as a decimal string.

top
SerialNumber
(read-only)
string serialNumber();

The certificate's serial number as a hexidecimal string.

top
Sha1Thumbprint
(read-only)
string sha1Thumbprint();

Hexidecimal string of the SHA-1 thumbprint for the certificate. (This is the SHA1 hash of the binary DER representation of the entire X.509 certificate.)

top
SignatureVerified
(read-only)
bool get_SignatureVerified()

Returns true if the certificate and all certificates in the chain of authority have valid signatures, otherwise returns false.

top
Silent
(read-only)
bool get_Silent()

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.)

If the HasKeyContainer property is true, then the certificate is linked to a key container and this property indicates that the key container will attempt to open any keys silently without any user interface prompts.

When a certificate is linked to a key container , the following properties will provide information about the key container and private key: CspName, KeyContainerName, MachineKeyset, and Silent.

top
SmartCardFailReason
(read-only)
int get_SmartCardFailReason()
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Set after calling LoadFromSmartcard. Possible values are:

  • 0 - No failure. The call to LoadFromSmartcard was successful.
  • 1 - No smartcard or USB token was detected.
  • 2 - The SmartCardPin was provided and the PIN login failed. (Note: Chilkat only PIN authenticates if PKCS11 was the chosen means for communicating with the smartcard.)
  • 3 - The certificate matching the specified criteria was not found.
  • 99 - Some other undefined failure. Consult the LastErrorText for more information.

top
SmartCardNoDialog
bool get_SmartCardNoDialog()
void put_SmartCardNoDialog(bool boolVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

If set to true, then no dialog will automatically popup if the SmartCardPin is incorrect. Instead, the method requiring the private key on the smart card will fail. The default value of this property is false, which means that if the SmartCardPin property is incorrect, a dialog with prompt will be displayed.

top
SmartCardPin
string smartCardPin();
void put_SmartCardPin(string strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.75

Can be set to the PIN value for a certificate / private key stored on a smart card.

top
SubjectAlternativeName
(read-only)
string subjectAlternativeName();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.85

The subject alternative name (SAN) name of the certificate returned as XML. See the examples linked below.

top
SubjectC
(read-only)
string subjectC();

The certificate subject's country.

top
SubjectCN
(read-only)
string subjectCN();

The certificate subject's common name.

top
SubjectDN
(read-only)
string subjectDN();

The certificate subject's full distinguished name.

top
SubjectE
(read-only)
string subjectE();

The certificate subject's email address.

top
SubjectKeyId
(read-only)
string subjectKeyId();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

The subject key identifier of the certificate in base64 string format. This is only present if the certificate contains the extension OID 2.5.29.14.

top
SubjectL
(read-only)
string subjectL();

The certificate subject's locality, which could be a city, count, township, or other geographic region.

top
SubjectO
(read-only)
string subjectO();

The certificate subject's organization, which is typically the company name.

top
SubjectOU
(read-only)
string subjectOU();

The certificate subject's organizational unit, which is the unit within the organization.

top
SubjectS
(read-only)
string subjectS();

The certificate subject's state or province.

top
TrustedRoot
(read-only)
bool get_TrustedRoot()

Returns true if the certificate has a trusted root authority, otherwise returns false.

Note: As of version 9.5.0.41, the notion of what your application deems as trusted becomes more specific. The TrustedRoots class/object was added in v9.5.0.0. Prior to this, a certificate was considered to be anchored by a trusted root if the certificate chain could be established to a root (self-signed) certificate, AND if the root certificate was located somewhere in the Windows registry-based certificate stores. There are two problems with this: (1) it's a Windows-only solution. This property would always return false on non-Windows systems, and (2) it might be considered not a strong enough set of conditions for trusting a root certificate.

As of version 9.5.0.41, this property pays attention to the new TrustedRoots class/object, which allows for an application to specificallly indicate which root certificates are to be trusted. Certificates may be added to the TrustedRoots object via the LoadCaCertsPem or AddCert methods, and then activated by calling the TrustedRoots.Activate method. The activated trusted roots are deemed to be trusted in any Chilkat API method/property that needs to make this determination. In addition, the TrustedRoots object has a property named TrustSystemCaRoots, which defaults to true, which allows for backward compatibility. It will trust CA certificates stored in the Windows registry-based certificate stores, or if on Linux, will trust certificates found in /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt.

top
UncommonOptions
string uncommonOptions();
void put_UncommonOptions(string strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.87

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
Utf8
bool get_Utf8()
void put_Utf8(bool boolVal);

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.

top
ValidFromStr
(read-only)
string validFromStr();

The date (in RFC822 string format) that this certificate becomes (or became) valid. It is a GMT/UTC date that is returned.

top
ValidToStr
(read-only)
string validToStr();

The date (in RFC822 string format) that this certificate becomes (or became) invalid. It is a GMT/UTC date that is returned.

top
VerboseLogging
bool get_VerboseLogging()
void put_VerboseLogging(bool 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.

top
Version
(read-only)
string version();

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

More Information and Examples
top

Methods

CheckRevoked
int CheckRevoked();

Returns 1 if the certificate has been revoked, 0 if not revoked, and -1 if unable to check the revocation status.

Note: This method is only implemented on Windows systems. It uses the underlying Microsoft CertVerifyRevocation Platform SDK function to check the revocation status of a certificate. (Search "CertVerifyRevocation" to get information about it.)

Non-Windows (and Windows) applications can send an OCSP request as shown in the example below.

More Information and Examples
top
CheckSmartCardPin
int CheckSmartCardPin();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

Verifies that the SmartCardPin property setting is correct. Returns 1 if correct, 0 if incorrect, and -1 if unable to check because the underlying CSP does not support the functionality.

More Information and Examples
top
ExportCertDer
bool ExportCertDer(CkByteData outData);

Exports the digital certificate to ASN.1 DER format.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ExportCertDerBd
bool ExportCertDerBd(CkBinData cerData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.70

Exports the digital certificate in ASN.1 DER format to a BinData object.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ExportCertDerFile
bool ExportCertDerFile(string path);

Exports the digital certificate to ASN.1 DER format binary file.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ExportCertPem
bool ExportCertPem(CkString outStr);
string exportCertPem();

Exports the digital certificate to an unencrypted PEM formatted string.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
ExportCertPemFile
bool ExportCertPemFile(string path);

Exports the digital certificate to an unencrypted PEM formatted file.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
ExportCertXml
bool ExportCertXml(CkString outStr);
string exportCertXml();

Exports a certificate to an XML format where the XML tags are the names of the ASN.1 objects that compose the X.509 certificate. Binary data is either hex or base64 encoded. (The binary data for a "bits" ASN.1 tag is hex encoded, whereas for all other ASN.1 tags, such as "octets", it is base64.)

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ExportPrivateKey
CkPrivateKey ExportPrivateKey();

Exports the certificate's private key.

Returns null on failure

top
ExportPublicKey
CkPublicKey ExportPublicKey();

Exports the certificate's public key.

Returns null on failure

More Information and Examples
top
ExportToPfxBd
bool ExportToPfxBd(string password, bool includeCertChain, CkBinData pfxData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.70

Exports the certificate and private key (if available) to pfxData. The password is what will be required to access the PFX contents at a later time. If includeCertChain is true, then the certificates in the chain of authority are also included in the PFX.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ExportToPfxData
bool ExportToPfxData(string password, bool includeCertChain, CkByteData outBytes);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.31

Exports the certificate and private key (if available) to an in-memory PFX image. The password is what will be required to access the PFX contents at a later time. If includeCertChain is true, then the certificates in the chain of authority are also included in the PFX.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ExportToPfxFile
bool ExportToPfxFile(string pfxFilename, string pfxPassword, bool bIncludeCertChain);

Exports the certificate and private key (if available) to a PFX (.pfx or .p12) file. The output PFX is secured using the pfxPassword. If bIncludeCertChain is true, then the certificates in the chain of authority are also included in the PFX output file.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
FindIssuer
CkCert FindIssuer();

Finds and returns the issuer certificate. If the certificate is a root or self-issued, then the certificate returned is a copy of the caller certificate. (The IsRoot property can be check to see if the certificate is a root (or self-issued) certificate.)

Returns null on failure

More Information and Examples
top
GetCertChain
CkCertChain GetCertChain();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Returns a certficate chain object containing all the certificates (including this one), in the chain of authentication to the trusted root (if possible). If this certificate object was loaded from a PFX, then the certiicates contained in the PFX are automatically available for building the certificate chain. The UseCertVault method can be called to provide additional certificates that might be required to build the cert chain. Finally, the TrustedRoots object can be used to provide a way of making trusted root certificates available.

Note: Prior to v9.5.0.50, this method would fail if the certificate chain could not be completed to the root. Starting in v9.5.0.50, the incomplete certificate chain will be returned. The certificate chain's ReachesRoot property can be examined to see if the chain was completed to the root.

On Windows systems, the registry-based certificate stores are automatically consulted if needed to locate intermediate or root certificates in the chain. Chilkat searches certificate stores in the following order. See System Store Locations for more information.

  1. Current-User "CA" Certificate Store
  2. Local-Machine "CA" Certificate Store
  3. Current-User "Root" Certificate Store
  4. Local-Machine "Root" Certificate Store
  5. Current-User "MY" Certificate Store
  6. Local-Machine "MY" Certificate Store
  7. Current-User "ADDRESSBOOK" Certificate Store (if it exists)
  8. Local-Machine "ADDRESSBOOK" Certificate Store (if it exists)

Returns null on failure

top
GetEncoded
bool GetEncoded(CkString outStr);
string getEncoded();

Returns a base64 encoded string representation of the certificate's binary DER format, which can be passed to SetFromEncoded to recreate the certificate object.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
GetExtensionAsText
bool GetExtensionAsText(string oid, CkString outStr);
string getExtensionAsText(string oid);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.89

Returns the certificate extension data as a string. This method should only be called for those extensions with text values NOT stored as binary ASN.1. In most cases, applications should call GetExtensionAsXml because most extensions contain ASN.1 values that need to be decoded..

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
GetExtensionAsXml
bool GetExtensionAsXml(string oid, CkString outStr);
string getExtensionAsXml(string oid);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Returns the certificate extension data in XML format (converted from ASN.1). The oid is an OID, such as the ones listed here: http://www.alvestrand.no/objectid/2.5.29.html

Note: In many cases, the data within the XML is returned base64 encoded. An application may need to take one further step to base64 decode the information contained within the XML.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
GetExtensionBd
bool GetExtensionBd(string oid, CkBinData bd);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Returns the certificate extension data specified by oid in bd.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
GetPrivateKeyPem
bool GetPrivateKeyPem(CkString outStr);
string getPrivateKeyPem();

Exports the certificate's private key to a PEM string (if the private key is available).

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
GetPubKeyDer
bool GetPubKeyDer(bool preferPkcs1, CkBinData bd);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.92

Loads the bd with the certificate's public key in ASN.1 DER format. If the key type (such as RSA) supports both PKCS1 and PKCS8 formats, then preferPkcs1 selects which format to return.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
GetSignature
bool GetSignature(CkBinData bd);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.92

Loads the bd with the certificate's signature.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
GetSpkiFingerprint
bool GetSpkiFingerprint(string hashAlg, string encoding, CkString outStr);
string getSpkiFingerprint(string hashAlg, string encoding);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.55

Returns the SPKI Fingerprint suitable for use in pinning. (See RFC 7469.) An SPKI Fingerprint is defined as the output of a known cryptographic hash algorithm whose input is the DER-encoded ASN.1 representation of the Subject Public Key Info (SPKI) of an X.509 certificate. The hashAlg specifies the hash algorithm and may be "sha256", "sha384", "sha512", "sha1", "md2", "md5", "haval", "ripemd128", "ripemd160","ripemd256", or "ripemd320". The encoding specifies the encoding, and may be "base64", "hex", or any of the encoding modes specified in the article at the link below.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
GetSubjectPart
bool GetSubjectPart(string partNameOrOid, CkString outStr);
string getSubjectPart(string partNameOrOid);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.85

Returns a part of the certificate's subject by name or OID. The partNameOrOid can be a part name, such as "CN", "O", "OU", "E", "S", "L", "C", or "SERIALNUMBER", or it can be an OID such as "2.5.4.3".

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
GetValidFromDt
CkDateTime GetValidFromDt();

Returns the date/time this certificate becomes (or became) valid.

Returns null on failure

More Information and Examples
top
GetValidToDt
CkDateTime GetValidToDt();

Returns the date/time this certificate becomes (or became) invalid.

Returns null on failure

More Information and Examples
top
HashOf
bool HashOf(string part, string hashAlg, string encoding, CkString outStr);
string hashOf(string part, string hashAlg, string encoding);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.75

Returns an encoded hash of a particular part of the certificate. The part may be one of the following:

  • IssuerDN
  • IssuerPublicKey
  • SubjectDN
  • SubjectPublicKey

The hashAlg is the name of the hash algorithm, such as "sha1", "sha256", "sha384", "sha512", "md5", etc. The encoding is the format to return, such as "hex", "base64", etc.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
HasPrivateKey
bool HasPrivateKey();

Returns true if a private key associated with the certificate is available.

top
IsEcdsa
bool IsEcdsa();
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Returns true if certificate is ECDSA-based (i.e. has an ECDSA key).

top
IsRsa
bool IsRsa();
Introduced in version 10.1.0

Returns true if certificate is RSA-based (i.e. has an RSA key).

top
LinkPkcs11
bool LinkPkcs11(CkPkcs11 session);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Links to the certificate's private key located on an HSM (smart card, token, or cloud HSM). Once linked, the certificate can be used for signing where the signing occurs on the HSM. See the example below for more detailed information.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadByCommonName
bool LoadByCommonName(string cn);

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Searches the Windows Local Machine and Current User registry-based certificate stores for a certificate having the common name specified. If found, the certificate is loaded and ready for use.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadByEmailAddress
bool LoadByEmailAddress(string emailAddress);

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Searches the Windows Local Machine and Current User registry-based certificate stores for a certificate containing the email address specified. If found, the certificate is loaded and ready for use.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
LoadByIssuerAndSerialNumber
bool LoadByIssuerAndSerialNumber(string issuerCN, string serialNumber);

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Searches the Windows Local Machine and Current User registry-based certificate stores for a certificate matching the issuerCN and having an issuer matching the serialNumber. If found, the certificate is loaded and ready for use.

Note: The hex serial number should be uppercase. Starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.88, the hex serial number is case-insensitive.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadBySubjectOid
bool LoadBySubjectOid(string oid, string value);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.85

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Searches the Windows Local Machine and Current User registry-based certificate stores for a certificate containing a subject part matching the oid and value.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadByThumbprint
bool LoadByThumbprint(string thumbprint, string encoding);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Searches the Windows Local Machine and Current User registry-based certificate stores for a certificate having an MD5 or SHA1 thumbprint equal to the thumbprint. The hash (i.e. thumbprint) is passed as a string using the encoding specified by encoding (such as "base64", "hex", etc.).

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
LoadFromBase64
bool LoadFromBase64(string encodedCert);

Loads an ASN.1 or DER encoded certificate represented in a Base64 string.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadFromBd
bool LoadFromBd(CkBinData certBytes);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.70

Loads an X.509 certificate from data contained in certBytes.

Note: The certBytes may contain the certificate in any format. It can be binary DER (ASN.1), PEM, Base64, etc. Chilkat will automatically detect the format.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
LoadFromBinary
bool LoadFromBinary(CkByteData data);

Loads an X.509 certificate from ASN.1 DER encoded bytes.

Note: The data may contain the certificate in any format. It can be binary DER (ASN.1), PEM, Base64, etc. Chilkat will automatically detect the format.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadFromFile
bool LoadFromFile(string path);

Loads a certificate from a .cer, .crt, .p7b, or .pem file. This method accepts certificates from files in any of the following formats:
1. DER encoded binary X.509 (.CER)
2. Base-64 encoded X.509 (.CER)
3. Cryptographic Message Syntax Standard - PKCS #7 Certificates (.P7B)
4. PEM format
This method decodes the certificate based on the contents if finds within the file, and not based on the file extension. If your certificate is in a file having a different extension, try loading it using this method before assuming it won't work. This method does not load .p12 or .pfx (PKCS #12) files.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadFromSmartcard
bool LoadFromSmartcard(string certSpec);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

Important: It's important to set the SmartCardPin property before calling this method.

Loads a certificate and its associated private key (if available) from a connected USB token or smart card. This function works on Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS, and Alpine Linux. If multiple USB tokens and/or smartcards are connected to the system, then each will be searched and the first matching certificate will be loaded.

The certSpec can have the following formats and values:

  • Empty String: Passing the empty string is the most common way to call this function. Pass the empty string when only one HSM (USB token or smart card) is connected to the system, and it contains only one certificate with a private key. The HSM can contain other certificates, but Chilkat will automatically choose and load the certificate that has the associated private key also located on the HSM.
  • cn=<cert subject common name>: Finds and loads the certificate having the specified subject common name (CN).
  • subjectdn_withtags=<distinguished name with tags>: Finds and loads the certificate having the specified DN with tags. For example, subjectdn_withtags=C=US, O=Example Corporation, OU=IT Department, CN=www.example.com
  • subjectdn=<distinguished name without tags>: Finds and loads the certificate having the specified DN without tags. For example, subjectdn=US, California, San Francisco, Example Corp, Engineering, www.example.com, support@example.com
  • issuercn=<subject hex serial:issuer common name>: Finds and loads the certificate having the specified hex serial number and an issuer with the specified common name. For example, "01020304: Let's Encrypt Authority X1"
  • serial=<hex serial number>: Finds and loads the certificate having the specified hexidecimal serial number.
  • thumbprint=<hex SHA1 thumbprint>: Finds and loads the certificate having the specified hexidecimal SHA1 thumbprint.
  • policyoid=<certificate policy OID>: Finds and loads the certificate having a policy OID equal to the specified value, such as 2.16.840.1.101.2.1.11.39.
  • o=<subject organization>: Finds and loads the certificate having the "O" subject part equal to the specified value.
  • c=<subject country>: Finds and loads the certificate having the "C" subject part equal to the specified value.
  • l=<subject locality>: Finds and loads the certificate having the "L" subject part equal to the specified value.
  • ou=<subject organizational unit>: Finds and loads the certificate having the "OU" subject part equal to the specified value.
  • st=<subject state>: Finds and loads the certificate having the "ST" subject part equal to the specified value.
  • e=<subject email>: Finds and loads the certificate having the "E" subject part equal to the specified value.

On Windows systems, certSpec can specify a CSP (Cryptographic Service Provider) name, such as "YubiHSM Key Storage Provider." This option is retained for legacy support, as Chilkat initially handled USB tokens and smartcards only on Windows via CSPs. Chilkat now supports HSMs across multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Alpine Linux) and uses various methods to communicate with HSMs, including PKCS11, macOS Keychain services, Windows ScMinidriver, MsCNG, and legacy Windows CryptoAPI. Chilkat automatically detects the HSM make/model and selects the optimal communication method.

Some possible CSP values are:

  • Microsoft Smart Card Key Storage Provider
  • Microsoft Base Smart Card Crypto Provider
  • Bit4id Universal Middleware Provider
  • YubiHSM Key Storage Provider (starting in v9.5.0.83)
  • SafeSign Standard Cryptographic Service Provider
  • SafeSign Standard RSA and AES Cryptographic Service Provider
  • eToken Base Cryptographic Provider
  • cryptoCertum3 CSP
  • FTSafe ePass1000 RSA Cryptographic Service Provider
  • SecureStoreCSP
  • EnterSafe ePass2003 CSP v2.0
  • Gemalto Classic Card CSP
  • PROXKey CSP India V1.0
  • PROXKey CSP India V2.0
  • TRUST KEY CSP V1.0
  • Watchdata Brazil CSP V1.0
  • Luna Cryptographic Services for Microsoft Windows
  • Luna SChannel Cryptographic Services for Microsoft Windows
  • Safenet RSA Full Cryptographic Provider
  • nCipher Enhanced Cryptographic Provider
  • MySmartLogon NFC CSP
  • NFC Connector Enterprise
  • ActivClient Cryptographic Service Provider
  • EnterSafe ePass2003 CSP v1.0
  • Oberthur Card Systems Cryptographic Provider
  • Athena ASECard Crypto CSP
  • many others...

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadPem
bool LoadPem(string strPem);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Loads the certificate from a PEM string.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadPfxBd
bool LoadPfxBd(CkBinData pfxData, string password);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.70

Loads the certificate from the PFX contained in pfxData. Note: If the PFX contains multiple certificates, the 1st certificate in the PFX is loaded.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadPfxData
bool LoadPfxData(CkByteData pfxData, string password);

Loads a PFX from an in-memory image of a PFX file. Note: If the PFX contains multiple certificates, the 1st certificate in the PFX is loaded.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadPfxFile
bool LoadPfxFile(string pfxPath, string password);

Loads a PFX file. Note: If the PFX contains multiple certificates, the 1st certificate in the PFX is loaded.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
LoadTaskResult
bool LoadTaskResult(CkTask task);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.52

Loads the certificate from a completed asynchronous task.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
PemFileToDerFile
bool PemFileToDerFile(string fromPath, string toPath);

Converts a PEM file to a DER file.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
SaveToFile
bool SaveToFile(string path);

Saves a certificate object to a .cer file.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
SetCloudSigner
bool SetCloudSigner(CkJsonObject json);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Provides information for a cloud signing service to do the signing via a remote signing server. Current supported services are AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, and ARSS (Aruba Remote Signing Service). See the examples below.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
SetCloudSignerAsync (1)
CkTask SetCloudSignerAsync(CkJsonObject json);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

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

Returns null on failure

top
SetFromEncoded
bool SetFromEncoded(string encodedCert);

Initializes the certificate object from a base64 encoded string representation of the certificate's binary DER format.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
SetPrivateKey
bool SetPrivateKey(CkPrivateKey privKey);

Used to associate a private key with the certificate for subsequent (PKCS7) signature creation or decryption.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
SetPrivateKeyPem
bool SetPrivateKeyPem(string privKeyPem);

Same as SetPrivateKey, but the key is provided in unencrypted PEM format. (Note: The privKeyPem is not a file path, it is the actual PEM text.)

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
UploadToCloud
bool UploadToCloud(CkJsonObject jsonIn, CkJsonObject jsonOut);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

This is an open-ended method to accomodate uploading the private key to a cloud service, such as AWS KMS, or Azure Key Vault. For details, see the examples below.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
UploadToCloudAsync (1)
CkTask UploadToCloudAsync(CkJsonObject jsonIn, CkJsonObject jsonOut);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

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

Returns null on failure

top
UseCertVault
bool UseCertVault(CkXmlCertVault vault);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Adds an XML certificate vault to the object's internal list of sources to be searched for certificates for help in building certificate chains and verifying the certificate signature to the trusted root.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
VerifySignature
bool VerifySignature();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Verifies the certificate signature, as well as the signatures of all certificates in the chain of authentication to the trusted root. Returns true if all signatures are verified to the trusted root. Otherwise returns false.

top
X509PKIPathv1
bool X509PKIPathv1(CkString outStr);
string x509PKIPathv1();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

Returns the base64 representation of an X509PKIPathv1 containing just the calling certificate. This is typically used in an X.509 Binary Security Token. It is a PKIPath that contains an ordered list of X.509 public certificates packaged in a PKIPath. The X509PKIPathv1 token type may be used to represent a certificate path. (This is sometimes used in XAdES signatures.)

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top