Pem Delphi ActiveX Reference Documentation

TChilkatPem

Current Version: 11.0.0

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).

Importing the Chilkat ActiveX into Delphi

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


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


Two things are required to use an ActiveX in Delphi:

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

To import the Chilkat type library, do the following:

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

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

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

Object Creation

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

Properties

AppendMode
property AppendMode: Integer
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

When set to 1, each of the Load* methods appends to the current contents of this PEM object. When set to 0, a Load* method replaces the contents of this PEM object. The default is 0.

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DebugLogFilePath
property DebugLogFilePath: WideString

If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.

Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.

Possible causes of hangs include:

  • A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
  • A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
  • An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.

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HeartbeatMs
property HeartbeatMs: 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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LastBinaryResult
property LastBinaryResult: OleVariant readonly

This property is mainly used in SQL Server stored procedures to retrieve binary data from the last method call that returned binary data. It is only accessible if Chilkat.Global.KeepBinaryResult is set to 1. This feature allows for the retrieval of large varbinary results in an SQL Server environment, which has restrictions on returning large data via method calls, though temp tables can handle binary properties.

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LastErrorHtml
property LastErrorHtml: WideString readonly

Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorText
property LastErrorText: WideString readonly

Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastErrorXml
property LastErrorXml: WideString readonly

Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.

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LastMethodSuccess
property LastMethodSuccess: Integer

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: 1 means success, 0 means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages.

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LastStringResult
property LastStringResult: WideString readonly

In SQL Server stored procedures, this property holds the string return value of the most recent method call that returns a string. It is accessible only when Chilkat.Global.KeepStringResult is set to TRUE. SQL Server has limitations on string lengths returned from methods and properties, but temp tables can be used to access large strings.

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LastStringResultLen
property LastStringResultLen: Integer readonly

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

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NumCerts
property NumCerts: 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
property NumCrls: 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
property NumCsrs: 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
property NumPrivateKeys: 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
property NumPublicKeys: 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
property PrivateKeyFormat: WideString
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
property PublicKeyFormat: WideString
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
property VerboseLogging: Integer

If set to 1, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is 0. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
property Version: WideString readonly

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

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Methods

AddCert
function AddCert(cert: TChilkatCert; includeChain: Integer): Integer;
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 1, then certificates in the cert's chain of authentication up to and including the root are automatically added.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AddItem
function AddItem(itemType: WideString; encoding: WideString; itemData: WideString): Integer;
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 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AddP7b
function AddP7b(bd: TChilkatBinData): Integer;
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Loads the PEM from the contents of an PKCS7 container (.p7b) contained in bd.

A .p7b (or .p7c) file contains a PKCS#7 container, which may include:

  • One or more X.509 certificates (a certificate chain)
  • Optionally, CRLs (Certificate Revocation Lists)
  • No private key

Common Use: Used to bundle intermediate and root certificates for things like SSL certificate chains.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AddPrivateKey
function AddPrivateKey(privateKey: TPrivateKey): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a private key to the PEM object.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AddPrivateKey2
function AddPrivateKey2(privKey: TPrivateKey; certChain: TChilkatCertChain): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AddPublicKey
function AddPublicKey(pubkey: TPublicKey): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a public key to the PEM object.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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CertAt
function CertAt(index: Integer; cert: TChilkatCert): Integer;
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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Clear
function Clear(): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes all content from this PEM object.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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GetEncodedItem
function GetEncodedItem(itemType: WideString; itemSubType: WideString; encoding: WideString; index: Integer): WideString;
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 a zero-length WideString on failure

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LoadP7b
function LoadP7b(p7bData: OleVariant): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LoadP7bFile
function LoadP7bFile(path: WideString): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LoadPem
function LoadPem(pemContent: WideString; password: WideString): Integer;
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 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LoadPemFile
function LoadPemFile(path: WideString; password: WideString): Integer;
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 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LoadTaskCaller
function LoadTaskCaller(task: TChilkatTask): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.80

Loads the caller of the task's async method.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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PrivateKeyAt
function PrivateKeyAt(index: Integer; privKey: TPrivateKey): Integer;
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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PublicKeyAt
function PublicKeyAt(index: Integer; pubKey: TPublicKey): Integer;
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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RemoveCert
function RemoveCert(index: Integer): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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RemovePrivateKey
function RemovePrivateKey(index: Integer): Integer;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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ToJksObj
function ToJksObj(alias: WideString; password: WideString; jksObj: TChilkatJavaKeyStore): Integer;
Introduced in version 11.0.0

This function converts this PEM to a Java KeyStore (JKS) object and stores it in jksObj. If alias is provided, it will be used as the alias for the first object in the PEM (either a private key or certificate), while subsequent objects will receive autogenerated aliases. The resulting JKS will be encrypted with password, unless the PEM contains only certificates, in which case password is not used.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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ToPem
function ToPem(): WideString;
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 a zero-length WideString on failure

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ToPemEx
function ToPemEx(extendedAttrs: Integer; noKeys: Integer; noCerts: Integer; noCaCerts: Integer; encryptAlg: WideString; password: WideString): WideString;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. If extendedAttrs is 1, then extended properties (Bag Attributes and Key Attributes) are output. If noKeys is 1, then no private keys are output. If noCerts is 1, then no certificates are output. If noCaCerts is 1, 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 a zero-length WideString on failure

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ToPfxObj
function ToPfxObj(pfxObj: TChilkatPfx): Integer;
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Converts this PEM object, which must contain at least one private key, to PKCS12 and returns the PFX in pfxObj. Typically, a PKCS12 file includes one private key, its associated certificate, and the certificate chain.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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Deprecated

GetCert
function GetCert(index: Integer): TChilkatCert;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49
This method is deprecated.

This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call CertAt.

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

Returns nil on failure

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GetPrivateKey
function GetPrivateKey(index: Integer): TPrivateKey;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49
This method is deprecated.

This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call PrivateKeyAt.

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

Returns nil on failure

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GetPublicKey
function GetPublicKey(index: Integer): TPublicKey;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49
This method is deprecated.

This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call PublicKeyAt.

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

Returns nil on failure

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ToJks
function ToJks(alias: WideString; password: WideString): TChilkatJavaKeyStore;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49
This method is deprecated.

Applications should instead call ToJksObj.

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 nil on failure

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ToPfx
function ToPfx(): TChilkatPfx;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49
This method is deprecated.

Applications should instead call ToPfxObj.

Converts this PEM object, which must contain at least one private key, to PKCS12 and returns the PFX object. Typically, a PKCS12 file includes one private key, its associated certificate, and the certificate chain.

Returns nil on failure

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