Pem VB.NET Reference Documentation

Pem

Current Version: 10.1.0

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).

Object Creation

Dim obj As New Chilkat.Pem()

Properties

AppendMode
AppendMode As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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DebugLogFilePath
DebugLogFilePath As String

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.

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HeartbeatMs
HeartbeatMs As Integer
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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LastErrorHtml
LastErrorHtml As String (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
LastErrorText As String (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
LastErrorXml As String (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
LastMethodSuccess As Boolean

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.

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NumCerts
NumCerts As Integer (ReadOnly)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of certificates in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st certificate, call GetCert(0).

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NumCrls
NumCrls As Integer (ReadOnly)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

The number of certificate revocation lists (CRLs) in the loaded PEM.

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NumCsrs
NumCsrs As Integer (ReadOnly)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.50

The number of certificate signing requests (CSRs) in the loaded PEM.

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NumPrivateKeys
NumPrivateKeys As Integer (ReadOnly)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of private keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st private key, call GetPrivateKey(0).

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NumPublicKeys
NumPublicKeys As Integer (ReadOnly)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of public keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st public key, call GetPublicKey(0).

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PrivateKeyFormat
PrivateKeyFormat As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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PublicKeyFormat
PublicKeyFormat As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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VerboseLogging
VerboseLogging As Boolean

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.

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Version
Version As String (ReadOnly)

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

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Methods

AddCert
Function AddCert(ByVal cert As Cert, ByVal includeChain As Boolean) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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AddItem
Function AddItem(ByVal itemType As String, ByVal encoding As String, ByVal itemData As String) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.59

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.

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AddPrivateKey
Function AddPrivateKey(ByVal privateKey As PrivateKey) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a private key to the PEM object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddPrivateKey2
Function AddPrivateKey2(ByVal privKey As PrivateKey, ByVal certChain As CertChain) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a private key and it's associated certificate chain to the PEM object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddPublicKey
Function AddPublicKey(ByVal pubkey As PublicKey) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a public key to the PEM object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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Clear
Function Clear() As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes all content from this PEM object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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GetCert
Function GetCert(ByVal index As Integer) As Cert
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Returns the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetEncodedItem
Function GetEncodedItem(ByVal itemType As String, ByVal itemSubType As String, ByVal encoding As String, ByVal index As Integer) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.50

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 Nothing on failure

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GetPrivateKey
Function GetPrivateKey(ByVal index As Integer) As PrivateKey
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Returns the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetPublicKey
Function GetPublicKey(ByVal index As Integer) As PublicKey
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Returns the Nth public key from the PEM. The first public key is at index 0.

Returns Nothing on failure

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LoadP7b
Function LoadP7b(ByVal p7bData As Byte()) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Loads the PEM from the contents of an in-memory PKCS7 container (.p7b).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadP7bAsync (1)
Function LoadP7bAsync(ByVal p7bData As Byte()) As Task
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadP7b 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 Nothing on failure

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LoadP7bFile
Function LoadP7bFile(ByVal path As String) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Loads the contents of a PKCS7 container (.p7b file).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadP7bFileAsync (1)
Function LoadP7bFileAsync(ByVal path As String) As Task
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadP7bFile 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 Nothing on failure

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LoadPem
Function LoadPem(ByVal pemContent As String, ByVal password As String) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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LoadPemAsync (1)
Function LoadPemAsync(ByVal pemContent As String, ByVal password As String) As Task
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadPem 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 Nothing on failure

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LoadPemFile
Function LoadPemFile(ByVal path As String, ByVal password As String) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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.

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LoadPemFileAsync (1)
Function LoadPemFileAsync(ByVal path As String, ByVal password As String) As Task
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadPemFile 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 Nothing on failure

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LoadTaskCaller
Function LoadTaskCaller(ByVal task As Task) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.80

Loads the caller of the task's async method.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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RemoveCert
Function RemoveCert(ByVal index As Integer) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes the Nth certificate from the PEM. The first certificate is at index 0.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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RemovePrivateKey
Function RemovePrivateKey(ByVal index As Integer) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes the Nth private key from the PEM. The first private key is at index 0.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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ToJks
Function ToJks(ByVal alias As String, ByVal password As String) As JavaKeyStore
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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 Nothing on failure

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ToPem
Function ToPem() As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.47

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 Nothing on failure

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ToPemEx
Function ToPemEx(ByVal extendedAttrs As Boolean, ByVal noKeys As Boolean, ByVal noCerts As Boolean, ByVal noCaCerts As Boolean, ByVal encryptAlg As String, ByVal password As String) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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 Nothing on failure

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ToPfx
Function ToPfx() As Pfx
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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 Nothing on failure

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Events

AbortCheck
Event OnAbortCheck

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.

Args are passed using Chilkat.AbortCheckEventArgs

Event callback implementation:

Dim WithEvents pem As Chilkat.Pem

Private Sub pem_OnAbortCheck(sender As Object, args As Chilkat.AbortCheckEventArgs) Handles pem.OnAbortCheck

    ...

End Sub
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PercentDone
Event OnPercentDone

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 True will cause the method to abort and return a failed status (or whatever return value indicates failure).

Args are passed using Chilkat.PercentDoneEventArgs

Event callback implementation:

Dim WithEvents pem As Chilkat.Pem

Private Sub pem_OnPercentDone(sender As Object, args As Chilkat.PercentDoneEventArgs) Handles pem.OnPercentDone

    ...

End Sub
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ProgressInfo
Event OnProgressInfo

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.

Args are passed using Chilkat.ProgressInfoEventArgs

Event callback implementation:

Dim WithEvents pem As Chilkat.Pem

Private Sub pem_OnProgressInfo(sender As Object, args As Chilkat.ProgressInfoEventArgs) Handles pem.OnProgressInfo

    ...

End Sub
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TaskCompleted
Event OnTaskCompleted

Called in the background thread when an asynchronous task completes.

More Information and Examples

Args are passed using Chilkat.TaskCompletedEventArgs

Event callback implementation:

Dim WithEvents pem As Chilkat.Pem

Private Sub pem_OnTaskCompleted(sender As Object, args As Chilkat.TaskCompletedEventArgs) Handles pem.OnTaskCompleted

    ...

End Sub
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