Cert Chilkat2 PHP Reference Documentation

Cert

Current Version: 11.7.0

Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs

Chilkat.Cert

Load, inspect, validate, and use X.509 certificates throughout Chilkat.

Chilkat.Cert is the central certificate object used throughout Chilkat for TLS, S/MIME, PKCS7/CMS, PDF signing, XML signing, code signing, decryption, certificate stores, smart cards, HSMs, PKCS#11, and cloud-based signing. It provides a broad set of features for loading certificates, inspecting certificate fields, checking validity, accessing private keys, building chains, checking revocation status, exporting certificate data, and diagnosing certificate-related problems.

Load certificates

Load public certificates from PEM, DER, Base64, files, strings, binary data, certificate stores, PFX/P12 files, smart cards, and other sources.

Inspect certificate details

Read subject and issuer fields, serial numbers, fingerprints, validity dates, key usage, extensions, SAN values, and other X.509 information.

Private key access

Work with certificates backed by private keys from PFX/P12 files, OS certificate stores, smart cards, HSMs, PKCS#11 modules, or cloud signing providers.

Trust and validation

Build and inspect certificate chains, verify signatures, check expiration, examine trust-related information, and work with revocation data.

Use across Chilkat

Pass Cert objects to other Chilkat classes for TLS client authentication, S/MIME, signing, encryption, decryption, and verification.

Export and diagnostics

Export certificate data in common formats and use detailed diagnostic output to troubleshoot loading, validation, private-key, chain, or store problems.

Common pattern: Use certificate-only formats such as PEM or DER when only the public certificate is needed. Use PFX/P12, an OS certificate store, smart-card loading, PKCS#11 linking, HSM integration, or cloud-signing configuration when a private key operation is required.

Object Creation

use Chilkat2\Cert;

try {
    $cert = new Cert();
    // ... use $cert ...
} catch (\Chilkat2\Exception $e) {
    echo $e->getClass(), '::', $e->getMethod(), " failed\n";
    echo $e->getMessage(), "\n";              // the LastErrorText of the failed call
}
public function __construct(array $properties = [])

Creates the object. The optional array sets properties in order, as if assigned one by one (new Cert(['VerboseLogging' => true, 'RaiseError' => false])); an unknown or read-only name throws Error. The class is defined by the chilkat2 extension (extension=chilkat2 in php.ini): there is no PHP file to include.

There is no close(): PHP frees the object when its last reference goes (unset($cert), $cert = null, or the end of the function or request). Objects returned by methods are independent and freed the same way. The class may be extended (class MyCert extends \Chilkat2\Cert); objects cannot be cloned or serialized.

public bool $RaiseError;

When true (the default), a method that fails throws Chilkat2\Exception. When false, it returns false (or null) instead, and the reason is in LastErrorText. Objects returned by a method inherit the value of the object that returned them.

Errors

Chilkat2\Exception extends RuntimeException: getMessage() is the failed call's full LastErrorText, getClass() its class ('Chilkat2\Cert') and getMethod() the method name. The object remains usable. Methods that look something up and find nothing return null without throwing (each such method says so), methods that answer a question (HasMember, IsUnlocked, ...) return a plain bool, and property reads and writes do not throw for Chilkat reasons.

Misuse always throws, whatever RaiseError is: a wrong argument type is a TypeError (exact types under declare(strict_types=1)), a missing or extra argument an ArgumentCountError, a string containing a NUL byte or an out-of-range integer a ValueError, and an unknown property (properties are case-sensitive) or a write to a read-only one an Error. Named arguments work with the parameter names shown.

Strings are passed and returned as UTF-8; binary data is a PHP string of bytes. Unlocking: call (new \Chilkat2\GlobalSettings())->UnlockBundle('...') once at startup.

Properties

AuthorityKeyId
public readonly 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.

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AvoidWindowsPkAccess
public bool $AvoidWindowsPkAccess;

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.

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CertVersion
public readonly int $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.

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DebugLogFilePath
public string $DebugLogFilePath;

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.

More Information and Examples
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Expired
public readonly bool $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.)

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ExtendedKeyUsage
public readonly 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

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ForClientAuthentication
public readonly bool $ForClientAuthentication;

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

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ForCodeSigning
public readonly bool $ForCodeSigning;

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

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ForSecureEmail
public readonly bool $ForSecureEmail;

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

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ForServerAuthentication
public readonly bool $ForServerAuthentication;

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

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ForTimeStamping
public readonly bool $ForTimeStamping;

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

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IntendedKeyUsage
public readonly int $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

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IsRoot
public readonly bool $IsRoot;

true if this is the root certificate, otherwise false.

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IssuerC
public readonly string $IssuerC;

The certificate issuer's country.

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IssuerCN
public readonly string $IssuerCN;

The certificate issuer's common name.

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IssuerDN
public readonly string $IssuerDN;

The issuer's full distinguished name.

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IssuerE
public readonly string $IssuerE;

The certificate issuer's email address.

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IssuerL
public readonly string $IssuerL;

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

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IssuerO
public readonly string $IssuerO;

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

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IssuerOU
public readonly string $IssuerOU;

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

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IssuerS
public readonly string $IssuerS;

The certificate issuer's state or province.

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LastErrorHtml
public readonly string $LastErrorHtml;

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
public readonly string $LastErrorText;

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
public readonly string $LastErrorXml;

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
public bool $LastMethodSuccess;

Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false 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. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.

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OcspUrl
public readonly 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
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PrivateKeyExportable
public readonly bool $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.

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Revoked
public readonly bool $Revoked;

Deprecated: This property does not check the revocation status of the certificate, and always returns false. Do not use it to decide whether a certificate is revoked.

To check whether a certificate has been revoked, call CheckRevoked (Windows only), which returns 1 (revoked), 0 (not revoked), or -1 (unable to check). Applications on any operating system can also send an OCSP request to the certificate's OcspUrl, if the certificate has one.

(A property cannot do this work because checking revocation can require contacting a CRL distribution point or an OCSP responder over the network, which can take a long time. In some programming languages, properties are evaluated at design time in the IDE.)

Note: Chilkat does not check certificate revocation status during the TLS handshake. Settings such as RequireSslCertVerify verify signatures, expiration, and the chain to a trusted root, but not revocation. To reject a revoked server certificate, the application must check it after connecting.

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Rfc822Name
public readonly 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.

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SelfSigned
public readonly bool $SelfSigned;

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

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SerialDecimal
public readonly string $SerialDecimal;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.75

The certificate's serial number as a decimal string.

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SerialNumber
public readonly string $SerialNumber;

The certificate's serial number as a hexidecimal string.

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Sha1Thumbprint
public readonly 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.)

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SignatureVerified
public readonly bool $SignatureVerified;

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

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SmartCardFailReason
public readonly int $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.

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SmartCardNoDialog
public bool $SmartCardNoDialog;
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.

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SmartCardPin
public string $SmartCardPin;
Introduced in version 9.5.0.75

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

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SubjectAlternativeName
public readonly 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.

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SubjectC
public readonly string $SubjectC;

The certificate subject's country.

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SubjectCN
public readonly string $SubjectCN;

The certificate subject's common name.

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SubjectDN
public readonly string $SubjectDN;

The certificate subject's full distinguished name.

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SubjectE
public readonly string $SubjectE;

The certificate subject's email address.

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SubjectKeyId
public readonly 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.

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SubjectL
public readonly string $SubjectL;

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

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SubjectO
public readonly string $SubjectO;

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

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SubjectOU
public readonly string $SubjectOU;

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

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SubjectS
public readonly string $SubjectS;

The certificate subject's state or province.

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TrustedRoot
public readonly bool $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.

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UncommonOptions
public string $UncommonOptions;
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. Possible comma separated keywords can include:

  • CheckRevokedCacheOnly: Added in v11.2.0. In the CheckRevoked method, prevents network access and only checks the cached revocation information on the local computer.

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ValidFromStr
public readonly string $ValidFromStr;

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

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ValidToStr
public readonly string $ValidToStr;

The date (in RFC822 string format) that this certificate expires. It is a GMT/UTC date that is returned.

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VerboseLogging
public bool $VerboseLogging;

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
public readonly string $Version;

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

More Information and Examples
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Methods

BuildCertChain
public function BuildCertChain(CertChain $certChain): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Builds the certificate chain in $certChain 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: Returns true even if certificate chain is not completed to the root. 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 true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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CheckRevoked
public function CheckRevoked(): int

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.) Starting in v11.2.0, the keyword "CheckRevokedCacheOnly" can be included in the UncommonOptions to prevent the Microsoft revocation handler from accessing any network based resources for revocation checking. In other words, just check the cached revocation information on the local computer.

CertVerifyRevocation can use the certificate's CRL distribution points as well as OCSP. If it returns -1, see the LastErrorText. One cause is that the issuing intermediate CA certificate is not present in the Windows certificate store.

Non-Windows (and Windows) applications can send an OCSP request as shown in the example below. Note that some CAs publish revocation status only through CRLs, not OCSP. For example, Let's Encrypt removed the OCSP URL from its certificates in May 2025 and shut down its OCSP responders in August 2025, so an OCSP request is not possible for current Let's Encrypt certificates.

More Information and Examples
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CheckSmartCardPin
public function CheckSmartCardPin(): int
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
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ExportCertDerBd
public function ExportCertDerBd(BinData $cerData): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.70

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

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ExportCertDerFile
public function ExportCertDerFile(string $path): bool

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

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ExportCertPem
public function ExportCertPem(): ?string

Exports the digital certificate to an unencrypted PEM formatted string.

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ExportCertPemFile
public function ExportCertPemFile(string $path): bool

Exports the digital certificate to an unencrypted PEM formatted file.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
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ExportCertXml
public function ExportCertXml(): ?string

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.)

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ExportToPfxBd
public function ExportToPfxBd(string $password, bool $includeCertChain, BinData $pfxData): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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ExportToPfxFile
public function ExportToPfxFile(string $pfxFilename, string $pfxPassword, bool $bIncludeCertChain): bool

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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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FindIssuer
public function FindIssuer(): ?Cert

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 if not found: this is not an error, and it does not throw whatever RaiseError is. The returned object is new and independent of this one, and inherits its RaiseError.

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GetEncoded
public function GetEncoded(): ?string

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

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetExtensionAsText
public function GetExtensionAsText(string $oid): ?string
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..

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetExtensionAsXml
public function GetExtensionAsXml(string $oid): ?string
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.

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetExtensionBd
public function GetExtensionBd(string $oid, BinData $bd): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Returns the certificate extension data specified by $oid in $bd.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetIssuer
public function GetIssuer(Cert $issuer): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Finds and returns the issuer certificate in $issuer. 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 true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetPrivateKey
public function GetPrivateKey(PrivateKey $privKey): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Loads the $privKey with the certificate's private key, if it exists. Returns false if the certificate has no associated private key.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetPrivateKeyPem
public function GetPrivateKeyPem(): ?string

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

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetPubKeyDer
public function GetPubKeyDer(bool $preferPkcs1, BinData $bd): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetPublicKey
public function GetPublicKey(PublicKey $pubKey): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Loads the $pubKey with the certificate's public key.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetSignature
public function GetSignature(BinData $bd): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.92

Loads the $bd with the certificate's signature.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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GetSpkiFingerprint
public function GetSpkiFingerprint(string $hashAlg, string $encoding): ?string
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.

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
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GetSubjectPart
public function GetSubjectPart(string $partNameOrOid): ?string
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.

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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HashOf
public function HashOf(string $part, string $hashAlg, string $encoding): ?string
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.

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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HasPrivateKey
public function HasPrivateKey(): bool

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

Never throws: false is an answer, not a failure.

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IsEcdsa
public function IsEcdsa(): bool
Introduced in version 10.1.0

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

Never throws: false is an answer, not a failure.

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IsRsa
public function IsRsa(): bool
Introduced in version 10.1.0

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

Never throws: false is an answer, not a failure.

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LinkPkcs11
public function LinkPkcs11(Pkcs11 $session): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadByCommonName
public function LoadByCommonName(string $cn): bool

This method searches for a certificate with the specified common name (CN) on different operating systems. - On Windows, it searches the Local Machine and Current User certificate stores. - On macOS and iOS, it searches the Default and System Keychains. If the certificate is found, it is loaded and ready for use.

Note: Chilkat v10.0.0 or later is needed for Apple Keychain.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadByEmailAddress
public function LoadByEmailAddress(string $emailAddress): bool

This method searches for a certificate with the specified email address on different operating systems. - On Windows, it searches the Local Machine and Current User certificate stores. - On macOS and iOS, it searches the Default and System Keychains. If the certificate is found, it is loaded and ready for use.

Note: Chilkat v10.0.0 or later is needed for Apple Keychain.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
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LoadByIssuerAndSerialNumber
public function LoadByIssuerAndSerialNumber(string $issuerCN, string $serialNumber): bool

This method searches for a certificate with the specified issuer common name ($issuerCN) and serial number ($serialNumber) on different operating systems. - On Windows, it searches the Local Machine and Current User certificate stores. - On macOS and iOS, it searches the Default and System Keychains. If the certificate is found, it is loaded and ready for use.

Note: Chilkat v10.0.0 or later is needed for Apple Keychain.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadBySubjectOid
public function LoadBySubjectOid(string $oid, string $value): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.85

This method searches for a certificate containing a subject part matching the $oid and $value. On Windows, it searches the Local Machine and Current User certificate stores. - On macOS and iOS, it searches the Default and System Keychains. If the certificate is found, it is loaded and ready for use.

Note: Chilkat v10.0.0 or later is needed for Apple Keychain.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
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LoadByThumbprint
public function LoadByThumbprint(string $thumbprint, string $encoding): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

This method searches for a certificate with the specified $thumbprint. The $thumbprint is passed as a string using the encoding specified by $encoding (such as base64, hex, etc.).

On Windows, it searches the Local Machine and Current User certificate stores. - On macOS and iOS, it searches the Default and System Keychains. If the certificate is found, it is loaded and ready for use.

Note: Chilkat v10.0.0 or later is needed for Apple Keychain.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
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LoadFromBase64
public function LoadFromBase64(string $encodedCert): bool

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

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadFromBd
public function LoadFromBd(BinData $certBytes): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
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LoadFromFile
public function LoadFromFile(string $path): bool

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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadFromSmartcard
public function LoadFromSmartcard(string $certSpec): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadPem
public function LoadPem(string $strPem): bool
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Loads the certificate from a PEM string.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadPfxBd
public function LoadPfxBd(BinData $pfxData, string $password): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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LoadPfxFile
public function LoadPfxFile(string $pfxPath, string $password): bool

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

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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PemFileToDerFile
public function PemFileToDerFile(string $fromPath, string $toPath): bool

Converts a PEM file to a DER file.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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SaveToFile
public function SaveToFile(string $path): bool

Saves a certificate object to a .cer file.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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SetCloudSigner
public function SetCloudSigner(JsonObject $json): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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SetFromEncoded
public function SetFromEncoded(string $encodedCert): bool

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

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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SetPrivateKey
public function SetPrivateKey(PrivateKey $privKey): bool

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

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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SetPrivateKeyPem
public function SetPrivateKeyPem(string $privKeyPem): bool

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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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Unload
public function Unload(): bool
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Unload the certificate, which could mean closing a PKCS11 session if the certificate was loaded from a smart card.

Returns true on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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UploadToCloud
public function UploadToCloud(JsonObject $jsonIn, JsonObject $jsonOut): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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UseCertVault
public function UseCertVault(XmlCertVault $vault): bool
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 on success. On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns false). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

More Information and Examples
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VerifySignature
public function VerifySignature(): bool
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.

Never throws: false is an answer, not a failure.

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X509PKIPathv1
public function X509PKIPathv1(): ?string
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.)

On failure it throws Chilkat2\Exception (or, with RaiseError set to false, returns null). $e->getMessage() (or the object's LastErrorText) explains why, and the object remains usable.

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Events

All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a long-running call, Cert reports progress to handlers installed with three methods, each taking any PHP callable (a closure, an arrow function, $this->method(...), an invokable object) and returning the object, so the calls chain:

$cert->onPercentDone(function (int $pctDone): bool {
        echo "$pctDone%\n";
        return false;           // return true to abort the method in progress
    })
    ->onProgressInfo(function (string $name, string $value): void {
        echo "$name: $value\n";
    });
public function onAbortCheck(?callable $callback): static
public function onPercentDone(?callable $callback): static
public function onProgressInfo(?callable $callback): static

Each installs the handler for one event, replacing the one installed before; null removes it. A callable that does not exist is a TypeError right away.

The AbortCheck handler is called periodically during long operations; PercentDone is called when an operation's completion percentage is known; ProgressInfo delivers named progress values. A truthy return from the AbortCheck or PercentDone handler aborts the running method, which then fails in the usual way (Chilkat2\Exception, or false / null with RaiseError off). PHP's set_time_limit() does not interrupt a Chilkat call; an AbortCheck handler is how a script enforces its own limit.

Handlers run during the method call, in the same request. Inside a handler, the object's properties (such as $cert->AbortCurrent = true) and other objects may be used, but calling a method of the same object throws Error. An exception thrown by a handler aborts the running method and propagates from it; the object remains usable. A closure that captures $cert itself makes a reference cycle, which PHP's cycle collector frees.

AbortCheck
// handler: function (): bool -- return true to abort
public function onAbortCheck(?callable $callback): static

Enables a method call to be aborted by triggering the AbortCheck event at intervals defined by the HeartbeatMs property. If HeartbeatMs is set to its default value of 0, no events will occur. For instance, set HeartbeatMs to 200 to trigger 5 AbortCheck events per second.

More Information and Examples

Example

$deadline = microtime(true) + 30;                     // give up after 30 seconds
$cert->onAbortCheck(fn(): bool => microtime(true) > $deadline);
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PercentDone
// handler: function (int $pctDone): bool -- return true to abort
public function onPercentDone(?callable $callback): static

This provides the percentage completion for any method involving network communications or time-consuming processing, assuming the progress can be measured as a percentage. This event is triggered only when it's possible and logical to express the operation's progress as a percentage. The pctDone argument will range from 1 to 100. For methods that finish quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks may vary, but the final callback will have pctDone equal to 100. For longer operations, callbacks will not exceed one per percentage point (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ..., 98, 99, 100).

The PercentDone callback also acts as an AbortCheck event. For fast methods where PercentDone fires, an AbortCheck event may not trigger since the PercentDone callback already provides an opportunity to abort. For longer operations, where time between PercentDone callbacks is extended, AbortCheck callbacks enable more responsive operation termination.

To abort the operation, set the abort output argument to true. This will cause the method to terminate and return a failure status or corresponding failure value.

More Information and Examples

Example

$cert->onPercentDone(function (int $pctDone): bool {
    // $pctDone ranges from 0 to 100.
    echo "Percent done: $pctDone\n";
    return false;   // return true to abort the method in progress
});
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ProgressInfo
// handler: function (string $name, string $value): void
public function onProgressInfo(?callable $callback): static

This event callback provides tag name/value pairs that detail what occurs during a method call. To discover existing tag names, create code to handle the event, emit the pairs, and review them. Most tag names are self-explanatory.

Note: Some Chilkat methods don't fire any ProgressInfo events.

More Information and Examples

Example

$cert->onProgressInfo(function (string $name, string $value): void {
    echo "$name: $value\n";
});
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