Pfx ActiveX Reference Documentation

Pfx

Current Version: 9.5.0.97

Provides the ability to manage, parse, and read PFX (PKCS12) files. To create PFX (PKCS12) files, use the certificate object's ExportToPfxFile or ExportToPfxData methods.

Object Creation

(ASP)
set obj = Server.CreateObject("Chilkat_9_5_0.Pfx")

(AutoIt)
$obj = ObjCreate("Chilkat_9_5_0.Pfx")

(Visual Basic 6.0)
Dim obj As New ChilkatPfx

(VBScript)
set obj = CreateObject("Chilkat_9_5_0.Pfx")

(Delphi)
obj := TChilkatPfx.Create(Self);

(FoxPro)
loObject = CreateObject('Chilkat_9_5_0.Pfx')

(PowerBuilder)
lole_object = create oleobject
li_rc = lole_object.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat_9_5_0.Pfx")

(SQL Server)
EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat_9_5_0.Pfx', @obj OUT

(Javascript)
var obj = new ActiveXObject("Chilkat_9_5_0.Pfx");

Properties

AlgorithmId
AlgorithmId As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

The encryption algorithm to be used when writing a PFX. After loading a PFX, this property is set to the encryption algorithm used by the loaded PFX. (This is the algorithm used for the "shrouded key bag", which is internal to the PFX.)

The default value (for backward compatibility) is "pbeWithSHAAnd3_KeyTripleDES_CBC". Can be set to "pbes2", in which case the Pbes2CryptAlg and Pbes2HmacAlg properies will be set to the algorithms to be used when writing, or the algorithms used by the loaded PFX.

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DebugLogFilePath
DebugLogFilePath As String

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

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

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

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LastBinaryResult
LastBinaryResult As Variant (read-only)

The binary data returned by the last (binary data returning) method called. Only available if Chilkat.Global.KeepBinaryResult is set to 1. This provides a means for obtaining large varbinary results in the SQL Server environment (where limitations exist in getting large amounts of data returned by method calls, but where temp tables can be used for binary properties).

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LastErrorHtml
LastErrorHtml As String (read-only)

Provides information in HTML format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastErrorText
LastErrorText As String (read-only)

Provides information in plain-text format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastErrorXml
LastErrorXml As String (read-only)

Provides information in XML format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastMethodSuccess
LastMethodSuccess As Long

Indicate whether the last method call succeeded or failed. A value of 1 indicates success, a value of 0 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 = 1 and failure = 0.
  • 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 1. For example, a method that returns no value (such as a "void" in C++) will technically always succeed.

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LastStringResult
LastStringResult As String (read-only)

The string return value of the last (string returning) method called. Only available if Chilkat.Global.KeepStringResult is set to 1. This provides a means for obtaining large string results in the SQL Server environment (where limitations exist in getting long strings returned by method calls, but where temp tables can be used for string properties).

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LastStringResultLen
LastStringResultLen As Long (read-only)

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

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NumCerts
NumCerts As Long (read-only)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

The number of certificates contained in the PFX.

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NumPrivateKeys
NumPrivateKeys As Long (read-only)
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

The number of private keys contained in the PFX.

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Pbes2CryptAlg
Pbes2CryptAlg As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

If the AlgorithmId property equals "pbes2", then this is the encryption algorithm to be used when writing the PFX, or used by the PFX that was loaded. If the AlgorithmId is not equal to "pbes2", then the value of this property is meaningless.

Possible values are:

  • aes256-cbc
  • aes192-cbc
  • aes128-cbc
  • 3des-cbc

The default value (for writing) is "aes256-cbc". Note: The algorithm specified by this property is only used when the Algorithmid = "pbes2".

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Pbes2HmacAlg
Pbes2HmacAlg As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

If the AlgorithmId property equals "pbes2", then this is the HMAC hash algorithm to be used when writing the PFX, or used by the PFX that was loaded. If the AlgorithmId is not equal to "pbes2", then the value of this property is meaningless.

Possible values are:

  • hmacWithSha256
  • hmacWithSha384
  • hmacWithSha512
  • hmacWithSha1

The default value (for writing) is "hmacWithSha256". Note: The algorithm specified by this property is only used when the Algorithmid = "pbes2".

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UncommonOptions
UncommonOptions As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

This is a catch-all property to be used for uncommon needs. This property defaults to the empty string and should typically remain empty.

Can be set to a list of the following comma separated keywords:

  • "LegacyOrder" - Introduced in v9.5.0.83. Write the internal ContentInfos in the order Chilkat traditionally used in previous versions.
  • "NoTruncatePfxPassword64" - Introduced in v9.5.0.87. Microsoft systems/tools such as certmgr.msc would typically truncate extremely long passwords to 64 bytes/chars. Other systems did not. Chilkat will by default truncate passwords to 64 chars. Add this keyword to prevent truncation.

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VerboseLogging
VerboseLogging As Long

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
Version As String (read-only)

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

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Methods

AddCert
AddCert(cert As ChilkatCert, ByVal includeChain As Long) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

Adds a certificate, its private key (if it exists), and potentially its certificate chain to the PFX. If includeChain is 1, then the certificate must have a private key. The certificate's private key is automatically obtained (internally) via the cert's ExportPrivateKey method. If the certificate's chain of authentication is to be added, it is automatically constructed and added using whatever resources are at hand (such as certs provided via the UseCertVault method, the trusted roots from Chilkat's TrustedRoots class, etc. If a certificate chain is to be added, which is the typical case, then the chain must be completed to the root to succeed.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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AddPrivateKey
AddPrivateKey(privKey As PrivateKey, certChain As ChilkatCertChain) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

Adds a private key and certificate chain to the PFX. The private key should be such that it is associated with the 1st certificate in the chain. In other words, the 1st certificate in the chain has a public key (embedded within the X.509 structure of the cert itself) that is the counterpart to the private key.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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FindCertByLocalKeyId
FindCertByLocalKeyId(localKeyId As String, encoding As String) As ChilkatCert
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

Finds and returns the certificate (in the PFX) that has a cert bag "localKeyId" attribute with the specified value. The localKeyId is specifid using the encoding (such as "decimal", "base64", "hex") specified by encoding.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetCert
GetCert(ByVal index As Long) As ChilkatCert
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Returns the Nth certificate in the PFX. (The 1st certificate is at index 0.)

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetPrivateKey
GetPrivateKey(ByVal index As Long) As PrivateKey
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Returns the Nth private key in the PFX. (The 1st private key is at index 0.)

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetSafeBagAttr
GetSafeBagAttr(ByVal forPrivateKey As Long, ByVal index As Long, attrName As String) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

Can be called to get one of the following safebag attributes for the Nth private key or certificate in the PFX. forPrivateKey should be 1 for a private key, and 0 for a certificate. The index is the index of the certificate or key in the PFX. The attrName can be one of the following:

  • "localKeyId" : Returns the decimal representation of the local key ID. The local key ID is used to associate the certificate contained in the PFX with this private key. (The certificate will include a "localKeyId" attribute in its cert bag of attributes within the PFX.)
  • "keyContainerName" : Returns the key container name (or key name) of the private key. For more information about the directories where the Windows OS stores private keys, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/seccng/key-storage-and-retrieval
  • "storageProvider" : Returns the name of the Cryptographic Storage Provider to be used for the key.

Note: It is not required that any of the above attributes are present in the PFX.

Returns Nothing on failure

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ImportToWindows
ImportToWindows(ByVal exportable As Long, ByVal userProtected As Long, ByVal machineKeyset As Long, ByVal allowOverwriteKey As Long, ByVal allowExport As Long, leafStore As String, intermediateStore As String, rootStore As String, extraOptions As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

Imports the certificates and private keys contained in the PFX to Windows certificate store(s).

If exportable is 1, imported keys are marked as exportable.

If userProtected is 1, the user is to be notified through a dialog box or other method when certain attempts to use this key are made. The precise behavior is specified by the cryptographic service provider (CSP) being used.

If machineKeyset is 1, the private keys are stored under the local computer and not under the current user.

If allowOverwriteKey is 1, allow overwrite of the existing key. Specify this flag when you encounter a scenario in which you must import a PFX file that contains a key name that already exists. For example, when you import a PFX file, it is possible that a container of the same name is already present because there is no unique namespace for key containers. If you have created a "TestKey" on your computer, and then you import a PFX file that also has "TestKey" as the key container, this flag allows the key to be overwritten.

if allowExport is 1, then the key is marked as exportable, which allows for it to be re-exported to a PFX.

The leafStore, intermediateStore, and rootStore are the Windows certificate store names indicating where to import certificates of each given type. A leafStore is a certificate that is not the issuer of any other certificate in the PFX. An intermediateStore is any certificate that is not a root (or self-signed) but is also the issuer of some other certificate in the PFX. A rootStore is a self-signed or root certificate.

The possible store names for leafStore, intermediateStore, and rootStore are as follows:

  • "None": Do not import certificates of the given type into any Windows certicate store.
  • "AddressBook": Certificate store for other users.
  • "AuthRoot": Certificate store for third-party certification authorities (CAs).
  • "CertificationAuthority": Certificate store for intermediate certification authorities (CAs).
  • "My": Certificate store for personal certificates. (Leaf certificates are typically imported into this store.)
  • "Root": Certificate store for trusted root certification authorities (CAs).
  • "TrustedPeople": Certificate store for directly trusted people and resources.
  • "TrustedPublisher": Certificate store for directly trusted publishers.

The rootStore is reserved for any future options that may be needed. At this time, pass an empty string.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LastJsonData
LastJsonData() As ChilkatJsonObject
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

Provides information about what transpired in the last method called.

Returns Nothing on failure

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LoadPem
LoadPem(pemStr As String, password As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.47

Loads a PFX from a PEM formatted string. The PEM can contain the private key, the certificate, and certificates in the chain of authentication up to the CA root. 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 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LoadPfxBytes
LoadPfxBytes(pfxData As Variant, password As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Loads a PFX from in-memory bytes.

If the .pfx/.p12 uses different passwords for integrity and private keys, then the password argument may contain JSON to specify the passwords. See the LoadPfxFile method (below) for details.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LoadPfxEncoded
LoadPfxEncoded(encodedData As String, encoding As String, password As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Loads a PFX from encoded byte data. The encoding can by any encoding, such as "Base64", "modBase64", "Base32", "UU", "QP" (for quoted-printable), "URL" (for url-encoding), "Hex", "Q", "B", "url_oath", "url_rfc1738", "url_rfc2396", and "url_rfc3986".

If the .pfx/.p12 uses different passwords for integrity and private keys, then the encoding argument may contain JSON to specify the passwords. See the LoadPfxFile method (below) for details.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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LoadPfxFile
LoadPfxFile(path As String, password As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Loads a PFX from a file.

Starting in v9.5.0.75, a .pfx/.p12 file with different passwords for integrity and private keys can be loaded by passing the following JSON for the password.

    {
      "integrity": "password1",
      "privKeys": "password2",
     }
If it is desired to open the .pfx/.p12 without access to the private keys, then add "skipPrivateKeys" like this:
    {
      "integrity": "password1",
      "privKeys": "not used",
       "skipPrivateKeys": true
     }

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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SetSafeBagAttr
SetSafeBagAttr(ByVal forPrivateKey As Long, ByVal index As Long, name As String, value As String, encoding As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.83

Sets a safe bag attribute for the Nth private key or certificate in the PFX. Safe bag attributes can be added by calling this method once for each attribute to be added to each certificate or key. forPrivateKey should be 1 for a private key, and 0 for a certificate. The index is the index of the certificate or key in the PFX. (The 1st item is at index 0.) See the example below for more information. The encoding indicates a binary encoding such as "base64", "hex", "decimal", "fingerprint", etc if the value contains binary (non-text) data.

A safe bag attribute can be removed by passing an empty string for the value.

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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ToBinary
ToBinary(password As String) As Variant
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

Write the PFX to in-memory bytes.

Returns a zero-length byte array (as a Variant) on failure.
An empty array will have a UBound of -1 meaning 0 elements.

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ToEncodedString
ToEncodedString(password As String, encoding As String) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

Write the PFX to an encoded string. The encoding can be any encoding such as "base64" or "hex".

Returns Nothing on failure

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ToFile
ToFile(password As String, path As String) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

Write the PFX to a file. PFX and PKCS12 are essentially the same. Standard filename extensions are ".pfx" or ".p12".

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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ToJavaKeyStore
ToJavaKeyStore(alias As String, password As String) As ChilkatJavaKeyStore
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

Converts the PFX (PKCS12) to a JavaKeyStore object. One JKS entry per private key found in the PKCS12 is added. The certs found within the PCKS12 are used to build the certificate chains for each private key. (A typical PFX file contains a single private key along with its associated certificate, and the certificates in the chain of authentication to the root CA cert.)

The specified alias is applied to the 1st private key found. If the alias is empty, then the alias is obtained from the cert/PFX in the following order of preference:

  1. Certificate's subject common name
  2. Certificate's subject email address
  3. Certificate's friendly name found in the PKCS9 attributes of the PKCS12
  4. Certificate's serial number

If multiple private keys are found in the PKCS12, then all but the first will automaticallly be assigned aliases using the preference just described.

Returns Nothing on failure

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ToPem
ToPem() As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.47

Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. The resultant PEM will contain the private key, as well as the certs in the chain of authentication (or whatever certs are available in the PFX). For example:

 -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
...
... the private key associated with the main certificate.
...
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... the main certificate
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... an intermediate CA certificate (if present)
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
...
... the root CA certificate
...
-----END CERTIFICATE----- 

Returns Nothing on failure

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ToPemEx
ToPemEx(ByVal extendedAttrs As Long, ByVal noKeys As Long, ByVal noCerts As Long, ByVal noCaCerts As Long, encryptAlg As String, password As String) As String
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 Nothing on failure

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UseCertVault
UseCertVault(vault As ChilkatXmlCertVault) As Long
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

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

Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.

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