CkPem C++ Reference Documentation

CkPem

Current Version: 10.1.0

Requires Chilkat Bundle License

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

// Local variable on the stack
CkPem obj;

// Dynamically allocate/delete
CkPem *pObj = new CkPem();
// ...
delete pObj;

Properties

AppendMode

bool get_AppendMode(void);
void put_AppendMode(bool newVal);

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.

DebugLogFilePath

void get_DebugLogFilePath(CkString &str);
const char *debugLogFilePath(void);
void put_DebugLogFilePath(const char *ansiOrUtf8Str);

If set to a file path, causes each Chilkat method or property call to automatically append it's LastErrorText to the specified log file. The information is appended such that if a hang or crash occurs, it is possible to see the context in which the problem occurred, as well as a history of all Chilkat calls up to the point of the problem. The VerboseLogging property can be set to provide more detailed information.

This property is typically used for debugging the rare cases where a Chilkat method call hangs or generates an exception that halts program execution (i.e. crashes). A hang or crash should generally never happen. The typical causes of a hang are:

a timeout related property was set to 0 to explicitly indicate that an infinite timeout is desired,
the hang is actually a hang within an event callback (i.e. it is a hang within the application code), or
there is an internal problem (bug) in the Chilkat code that causes the hang.

More Information and Examples

Example showing how to use DebugLogFilePath.

HeartbeatMs

int get_HeartbeatMs(void);
void put_HeartbeatMs(int newVal);

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.

LastErrorHtml

void get_LastErrorHtml(CkString &str);
const char *lastErrorHtml(void);

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.

LastErrorText

void get_LastErrorText(CkString &str);
const char *lastErrorText(void);

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.

More Information and Examples

Concept of LastErrorText LastErrorText Standard Information

LastErrorXml

void get_LastErrorXml(CkString &str);
const char *lastErrorXml(void);

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.

LastMethodSuccess

bool get_LastMethodSuccess(void);
void put_LastMethodSuccess(bool newVal);

Indicate whether the last method call succeeded or failed. A value of true indicates success, a value of false indicates failure. This property is automatically set for method calls. It is not modified by property accesses. The property is automatically set to indicate success for the following types of method calls:

Any method that returns a string.
Any method returning a Chilkat object, binary bytes, or a date/time.
Any method returning a standard boolean status value where success = true and failure = false.
Any method returning an integer where failure is defined by a return value less than zero.

Note: Methods that do not fit the above requirements will always set this property equal to true. For example, a method that returns no value (such as a "void" in C++) will technically always succeed.

NumCerts

int get_NumCerts(void);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

More Information and Examples

Iterate Keys and Certs in PEM

NumCrls

int get_NumCrls(void);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

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

More Information and Examples

Convert CRL PEM to XML

NumCsrs

int get_NumCsrs(void);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.50

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

NumPrivateKeys

int get_NumPrivateKeys(void);

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).

More Information and Examples

Iterate Keys and Certs in PEM

NumPublicKeys

int get_NumPublicKeys(void);

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).

PrivateKeyFormat

void get_PrivateKeyFormat(CkString &str);
const char *privateKeyFormat(void);
void put_PrivateKeyFormat(const char *ansiOrUtf8Str);

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.

PublicKeyFormat

void get_PublicKeyFormat(CkString &str);
const char *publicKeyFormat(void);
void put_PublicKeyFormat(const char *ansiOrUtf8Str);

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.

More Information and Examples

Write PKCS1 or PKCS8 Public Key PEM

Utf8

bool get_Utf8(void);
void put_Utf8(bool newVal);

When set to true, all "const char *" arguments are interpreted as utf-8 strings. If set to false (the default), then "const char *" arguments are interpreted as ANSI strings. Also, when set to true, and Chilkat method returning a "const char *" is returning the utf-8 representation. If set to false, all "const char *" return values are ANSI strings.

VerboseLogging

bool get_VerboseLogging(void);
void put_VerboseLogging(bool newVal);

If set to true, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is false. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

Version

void get_Version(CkString &str);
const char *version(void);

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

More Information and Examples

How to get the Chilkat version at runtime.

Methods

AddCert

bool AddCert(CkCert &cert, bool includeChain);

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.

More Information and Examples

Add Private Key and Certificate to a PEM

AddItem

bool AddItem(const char *itemType, const char *encoding, const char *itemData);

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.

AddPrivateKey

bool AddPrivateKey(CkPrivateKey &privateKey);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a private key to the PEM object.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

Add Private Key and Certificate to a PEM Duplicate openssl pkcs12 –export –in certfile.cer –inkey certfile.key –out certfile.pfx

AddPrivateKey2

bool AddPrivateKey2(CkPrivateKey &privKey, CkCertChain &certChain);

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.

AddPublicKey

bool AddPublicKey(CkPublicKey &pubkey);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a public key to the PEM object.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

Clear

bool Clear(void);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes all content from this PEM object.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

GetCert

CkCert *GetCert(int index);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

More Information and Examples

Load Encrypted PEM Containing ECC Private Key and Certs and Examine Contents

GetEncodedItem

bool GetEncodedItem(const char *itemType, const char *itemSubType, const char *encoding, int index, CkString &outStr);
const char *getEncodedItem(const char *itemType, const char *itemSubType, const char *encoding, int index);

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 true for success, false for failure.

GetPrivateKey

CkPrivateKey *GetPrivateKey(int index);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

More Information and Examples

Load Encrypted PEM Containing ECC Private Key and Certs and Examine Contents

GetPublicKey

CkPublicKey *GetPublicKey(int index);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

LoadP7b

bool LoadP7b(CkByteData &p7bData);

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.

LoadP7bAsync ⁽¹⁾

CkTask *LoadP7bAsync(CkByteData &p7bData);

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.

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

LoadP7bFile

bool LoadP7bFile(const char *path);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

Load P7B and List Certificates

LoadP7bFileAsync ⁽¹⁾

CkTask *LoadP7bFileAsync(const char *path);

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.

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

LoadPem

bool LoadPem(const char *pemContent, const char *password);

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.

LoadPemAsync ⁽¹⁾

CkTask *LoadPemAsync(const char *pemContent, const char *password);

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.

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

LoadPemFile

bool LoadPemFile(const char *path, const char *password);

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.

More Information and Examples

Load PEM and List Certificates

LoadPemFileAsync ⁽¹⁾

CkTask *LoadPemFileAsync(const char *path, const char *password);

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.

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

LoadTaskCaller

bool LoadTaskCaller(CkTask &task);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.80

Loads the caller of the task's async method.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

RemoveCert

bool RemoveCert(int index);

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.

RemovePrivateKey

bool RemovePrivateKey(int index);

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.

ToJks

CkJavaKeyStore *ToJks(const char *alias, const char *password);

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.

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

More Information and Examples

Convert PEM to JKS (Java KeyStore)

ToPem

bool ToPem(CkString &outStr);
const char *toPem(void);

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 true for success, false for failure.

ToPemEx

bool ToPemEx(bool extendedAttrs, bool noKeys, bool noCerts, bool noCaCerts, const char *encryptAlg, const char *password, CkString &outStr);
const char *toPemEx(bool extendedAttrs, bool noKeys, bool noCerts, bool noCaCerts, const char *encryptAlg, const char *password);

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 true for success, false for failure.

ToPfx

CkPfx *ToPfx(void);

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.

Note: The application is responsible for deleting (via the C++ delete operator) the object returned by this method.

Returns NULL on failure

More Information and Examples

Convert PEM to PKCS12 / PFX

Events

To implement an event callback, your application would define and implement a class that inherits from CkBaseProgress. Your application can implement methods to override some or all of the default/empty method implementations of the CkBaseProgress base class.

For example:

  CkPem pem;

  MyPemProgress callbackObj;

  pem.put_EventCallbackObject(&callbackObj);

MyPemProgress example:

#include "CkBaseProgress.h"

class MyPemProgress : public CkBaseProgress {

  public:
    MyPemProgress();
    virtual ~MyPemProgress();

    void AbortCheck(bool  *abort);

    void PercentDone(int pctDone, bool  *abort);

    void ProgressInfo(const char *name, const char *value);

    void TaskCompleted(CkTask &task);

};

AbortCheck

void AbortCheck(bool *abort);

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.

PercentDone

void PercentDone(int pctDone, bool *abort);

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).

ProgressInfo

void ProgressInfo(const char *name, const char *value);

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.

TaskCompleted

void TaskCompleted(CkTask &task);

Called in the background thread when an asynchronous task completes.

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