ChilkatSocket ActiveX Reference
ChilkatSocket
TCP socket component with SSL capability. Supports both asynchronous connect, accept, send, and read operations in all programming languages. The ActiveX and .NET socket components also include heartbeat, completion, and other events when blocking methods are called. DNS and reverse DNS is support in both synchronous and asynchronous modes. Supports the ability to abort all operations: connect, accept, send, receive, DNS lookups, etc. prior to completion.
Object Creation
(Visual Basic 6.0)
Dim obj As New ChilkatSocket
(ASP)
set obj = Server.CreateObject("Chilkat.Socket")
(VBScript)
set obj = CreateObject("Chilkat.Socket")
(Delphi)
obj := TChilkatSocket.Create(Self);
(FoxPro)
loObject = CreateObject('Chilkat.Socket')
(SQL Server)
EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.Socket', @obj OUT
(Javascript)
var obj = new ActiveXObject("Chilkat.Socket");
Properties
AsyncAcceptFinished As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous accept operation completes. Once the asynchronous accept has finished, the success/failure is available in the AsyncAcceptSuccess boolean property.
AsyncAcceptLog As String (read-only)
Contains the last-error information for an asynchronous accept operation.
AsyncAcceptSuccess As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous accept operation completes and is successful.
AsyncConnectFinished As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous connect operation completes.
Once the asynchronous connect has finished, the success/failure is available in the AsyncConnectSuccess boolean property.
AsyncConnectLog As String (read-only)
Contains the last-error information for an asynchronous connect operation.
AsyncConnectSuccess As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous connect operation completes and is successful.
AsyncDnsFinished As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous DNS query completes. The success status is available in the AsyncDnsSuccess property.
AsyncDnsLog As String (read-only)
Contains the last-error information for an asynchronous DNS query.
AsyncDnsResult As String (read-only)
The IP address of the last asynchronous DNS query completed. The IP address is in nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn string form.
AsyncDnsSuccess As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous DNS query completes and is successful.
AsyncReceiveFinished As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous receive operation completes. Once the asynchronous receive has finished, the success/failure is available in the AsyncReceiveSuccess boolean property.
AsyncReceiveLog As String (read-only)
Contains the last-error information for an asynchronous receive operation.
AsyncReceiveSuccess As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous receive operation completes and is successful.
AsyncReceivedBytes As Variant (read-only)
Contains the data received in an asynchronous receive operation (when receiving bytes asynchronously).
AsyncReceivedString As String (read-only)
Contains the string received in an asynchronous receive operation (when receiving a string asynchronously).
AsyncSendFinished As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous send operation completes. Once the asynchronous send has finished, the success/failure is available in the AsyncSendSuccess boolean property.
AsyncSendLog As String (read-only)
Contains the last-error information for an asynchronous send operation.
AsyncSendSuccess As Long (read-only)
Set to 1 when an asynchronous send operation completes and is successful.
ClientIpAddress As String
The IP address to use for computers with multiple network interfaces or IP addresses.
For computers with a single network interface (i.e. most computers), this property should not be set. For multihoming computers, the default IP address is automatically used if this property is not set.
The IP address is a string such as in dotted notation using numbers, not domain names, such as "165.164.55.124".
ClientPort As Long
Normally left at the default value of 0, in which case a unique port is assigned with a value between
1024 and 5000. This property would only be changed if it is specifically required. For example, one
customer's requirements are as follows:
"I have to connect to a Siemens PLC IP server on a technical network.
This machine expects that I connect to its server from a specific IP address using a specific port
otherwise the build in security disconnect the IP connection."
ConnectFailReason As Long (read-only)
If the Connect method fails, this property can be checked to determine the reason for failure.
Possible values are:
0 = success
Normal (non-SSL) sockets:
1 = empty hostname
2 = DNS lookup failed
3 = DNS timeout
4 = Aborted by application.
5 = Internal failure.
6 = Connect Timed Out
7 = Connect Rejected (or failed for some other reason)
SSL:
100 = Internal schannel error
101 = Failed to create credentials
102 = Failed to send initial message to proxy.
103 = Handshake failed.
104 = Failed to obtain remote certificate.
DebugConnectDelayMs As Long
Used to simulate a long wait when connecting to a remote server. If your application wishes to test for the handling of timeouts, you may set this value to a number of milliseconds greater than max-wait specified in the Connect method call. The default value is 0.
DebugDnsDelayMs As Long
Used to simulate a long wait when doing a DNS lookup. If your application wishes to test for the handling of timeouts, you may set this value to a number of milliseconds greater than max-wait specified in the DnsLookup method call. The default value is 0.
HeartbeatMs As Long
The number of milliseconds between periodic heartbeat callbacks for blocking socket operations (connect, accept, dns query, send, receive). Set this to 0 to disable heartbeat events. The default value is 1000 (i.e. 1 heartbeat callback per second).
IsConnected As Long (read-only)
Returns 1 if the socket is connected. Otherwise returns 0.
Note: This returns the last known state of the socket's connected state. It does not try to send any data on the socket. If a previous call resulted in the socket becoming disconnected, then 0 will be returned. However, if the socket was connected and the peer disconnects prior to any Chilkat Socket method calls that would send/received data (and discover the disconnection), then this will return 1. In a nutshell, if this returns 0, then it is known for sure that the socket is not connected, if it returns 1 then the last-known state of the socket was connected.
KeepSessionLog As Long
Controls whether socket (or SSL) communications are logged to the SessionLog string property. To turn on session logging, set this property = 1, otherwise set to 0 (which is the default value).
LastErrorHtml As String (read-only)
To be documented soon.Error information in HTML format for the last method called.
LastErrorText As String (read-only)
Error information in plain-text format for the last method called.
LastErrorXml As String (read-only)
To be documented soon.Error information in XML format for the last method called.
LastMethodFailed As Long (read-only)
1 if the last method called on this object failed. This provides an easier (less confusing) way of determining whether a method such as ReceiveBytes succeeded or failed.
LocalIpAddress As String (read-only)
The local IP address for a bound or connected socket.
LocalPort As Long (read-only)
The local port for a bound or connected socket.
MaxReadIdleMs As Long
The maximum number of milliseconds to wait on a socket read operation while no additional data is forthcoming. To wait indefinitely, set this property to 0. The default value is 0.
MaxSendIdleMs As Long
The maximum number of milliseconds to wait for the socket to become writeable on a socket write operation. To wait indefinitely, set this property to 0. The default value is 0.
MyIpAddress As String (read-only)
The local IP address of the local computer. For multi-homed computers (i.e. computers with multiple IP adapters) this property returns the default IP address.
Note: This will be the internal IP address, not an external IP address. (For example, if your computer is on a LAN, it is likely to be an IP address beginning with "192.168.".
Important: Use LocalIpAddress and LocalIpPort to get the local IP/port for a bound or connected socket.
ObjectId As Long (read-only)
Each socket object is assigned a unique object ID. This ID is passed in event callbacks to allow your application to associate the event with the socket object.
ReceivePacketSize As Long
The number of bytes to receive at a time (internally). This setting has an effect on methods such as ReadBytes and ReadString where the number of bytes to read is not explicitly specified. The default value is 4096.
RemoteIpAddress As String (read-only)
When a socket is connected, the remote IP address of the connected peer is available in this property.
RemotePort As Long (read-only)
When a socket is connected, the remote port of the connected peer is available in this property.
SendPacketSize As Long
The number of bytes to send at a time (internally). This can also be though of as the "chunk size". If a large amount of data is to be sent, the data is sent in chunks equal to this size in bytes. The default value is 65535. (Note: This only applies to non-SSL/TLS connections. SSL and TLS have their own pre-defined packet sizes.)
SessionLog As String (read-only)
Contains a log of the bytes sent and received on this socket. The KeepSessionLog property must be set to 1 for logging to occur.
SessionLogEncoding As String
Controls how the data is encoded in the SessionLog. Possible values are "esc" and "hex". The default value is "esc".
When set to "hex", the bytes are encoded as a hexidecimalized string.
The "esc" encoding is a C-string like encoding, and is more compact than hex if most of the data to be logged is text. Printable us-ascii chars are unmodified. Common "C" control chars are represented as "\r", "\n", "\t", etc. Non-printable and byte values greater than 0x80 are escaped using a backslash and hex encoding: \xHH. Certain printable chars are backslashed: SPACE, double-quote, single-quote, etc.
SoRcvBuf As Long
To be documented soon...
SoSndBuf As Long
To be documented soon...
Ssl As Long
Set this property to 1 if the socket requires an SSL connection. The default value is 0.
SslProtocol As String
Selects the secure protocol to be used for secure (SSL) connections. Possible values are:
default
TLS 1.0
SSL 3.0
SSL 2.0
PCT 1.0
The default value is "default", which allows for the protocol to be selected dynamically at runtime based on the requirements of the server.
StringCharset As String
A charset such as "utf-8", "windows-1252", "Shift_JIS", "iso-8859-1", etc. Methods for sending and receiving strings will use this charset as the encoding. Strings sent on the socket are first converted (if necessary) to this encoding. When reading, it is assumed that the bytes received are converted FROM this charset if necessary. This ONLY APPLIES TO THE SendString and ReceiveString methods. The default value is "ansi".
Version As String (read-only)
The version of this component, such as "v1.0.0"
Methods
AcceptNextConnection(maxWaitMs As Long) As ChilkatSocket
Blocking call to accept the next incoming connection on the socket. maxWaitMs specifies the maximum time to wait (in milliseconds). Set this to 0 to wait indefinitely. If successful, a new socket object is returned. While blocking, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the accept operation prior to completion. The AcceptComplete event is fired when a connection is accepted. This event provides the remote IP address and port number of the remote connected socket.
AsyncAcceptAbort()
Call this to abort an asynchronous socket connect that is running in a background thread. Asynchronous connects are initiated by calling AsyncAcceptStart.
AsyncAcceptSocket() As ChilkatSocket
Returns the socket object for the connection accepted asynchronously in a background thread (via AsyncAcceptStart). The connected socket can only be retrieved once. A subsequent call to AsyncAcceptSocket will return a NULL reference until another connection is accepted asynchronously.
AsyncAcceptStart(maxWaitMs As Long) As Long
Initiates a background thread to wait for and accept the next incoming TCP connection. The method will fail if an asynchronous operation is already in progress, or if the timeout expired. The timeout (in milliseconds) is passed in maxWaitMs. To wait indefinitely, set maxWaitMs to 0. Asynchronous accept operations can be aborted by calling AsyncAcceptAbort. When the async accept operation completes, the AsyncAcceptFinished property will become 1. If the accept was successful, the AsyncAcceptSuccess property is set to 1 and the connected socket can be retrieved via the AsyncAcceptSocket method. A debug log is available in the AsyncAcceptLog property. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncConnectAbort()
Aborts an asynchronous connect operation running in a background thread (started by calling AsyncConnectStart).
AsyncConnectStart(hostname As String, port As Long, ssl As Long, maxWaitMs As Long) As Long
Initiates a background thread to establish a TCP connection with a remote host:port. The method will fail if an asynchronous operation is already in progress, or if the timeout expired. The timeout (in milliseconds) is passed in maxWaitMs. To wait indefinitely, set maxWaitMs to 0. Set ssl = 1 to esablish an SSL connection. Asynchronous connect operations can be aborted by calling AsyncConnectAbort. When the async connect operation completes, the AsyncConnectFinished property will become 1. If the connect was successful, the AsyncConnectSuccess property is set to 1. A debug log is available in the AsyncConnectLog property. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncDnsAbort()
Aborts an asynchronous DNS lookup running in a background thread (started via the AsyncDnsStart method).
AsyncDnsStart(hostname As String, maxWaitMs As Long) As Long
Initiates a background thread to do a DNS query (i.e. to resolve a hostname to an IP address). The method will fail if an asynchronous operation is already in progress, or if the timeout expired. The timeout (in milliseconds) is passed in maxWaitMs. To wait indefinitely, set maxWaitMs to 0. Asynchronous DNS lookups can be aborted by calling AsyncDnsAbort. When the async DNS operation completes, the AsyncDnsFinished property will become 1. If the DNS query was successful, the AsyncDnsSuccess property is set to 1. A debug log is available in the AsyncDnsLog property. Finally, the DNS query result (i.e. IP address) is available in nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn string form in the AsyncDnsResult property. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncReceiveAbort()
Aborts an asynchronous receive running in a background thread (started via one of the AsyncReceive* methods).
AsyncReceiveBytes() As Long
Initiates a background thread to receive bytes on an already-connected socket (ssl or non-ssl). Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncReceiveBytesN(numBytes As Long) As Long
Initiates a background thread to receive exactly numBytes bytes on an already-connected socket (ssl or non-ssl). Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncReceiveString() As Long
Initiates a background thread to receive text on an already-connected socket (ssl or non-ssl). The component interprets the received bytes according to the charset specified in the StringCharset property. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncReceiveToCRLF() As Long
Initiates a background thread to receive text on an already-connected socket (ssl or non-ssl). The asynchronous receive does not complete until a CRLF is received. The component interprets the received bytes according to the charset specified in the StringCharset property. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncReceiveUntilMatch(matchStr As String) As Long
Initiates a background thread to receive text on an already-connected socket (ssl or non-ssl). The asynchronous receive does not complete until the exact string specified by matchStr is received. The component interprets the received bytes according to the charset specified in the StringCharset property. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncSendAbort()
Aborts an asynchronous send running in a background thread (started via one of the AsyncSend* methods).
AsyncSendBytes(byteData As Variant) As Long
Initiates a background thread to send bytes on an already-connected socket (ssl or non-ssl). Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
AsyncSendString(stringToSend As String) As Long
Initiates a background thread to send text on an already-connected socket (ssl or non-ssl). Before sending, the stringToSend is first converted (if necessary) to the charset specified by the StringCharset property. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
BindAndListen(port As Long, backLog As Long) As Long
Binds a TCP socket to a port and configures it to listen for incoming connections. The size of the backlog is passed in backLog. The backlog is necessary when multiple connections arrive at the same time, or close enough in time such that they cannot be serviced immediately. (A typical value to use for backLog is 5.) This method should be called once prior to receiving incoming connection requests via the AcceptNextConnection or AsyncAcceptStart methods. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
BuildHttpGetRequest(url As String) As String
Convenience method for converting a full URL with query parameters into an HTTP GET request. The full HTTP GET request is returned as a string. Returns a null on failure
ClearSessionLog()
Clears the contents of the SessionLog property.
Close(maxWaitMs As Long)
Cleanly terminates and closes a TCP/IP (SSL or non-SSL) connection. The maxWaitMs applies to SSL connections because there is a handshake that occurs during secure channel shutdown.
Connect(hostname As String, port As Long, ssl As Long, maxWaitMs As Long) As Long
Establishes an SSL or non-SSL connection with a remote host:port. This is a blocking call. To initiate a non-blocking (asynchronous) connection in a background thread, call AsyncConnectStart. The maximum wait time (in milliseconds) is passed in maxWaitMs. To establish an SSL connection, set ssl = 1, otherwise set ssl = 0. While blocking, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the connect operation prior to completion. The ConnectComplete event is fired when a connection is completed. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
ConvertFromSsl() As Long
To be documented soon...
ConvertToSsl() As Long
To be documented soon...
Dispose()
To be documented soon...
DnsLookup(hostname As String, maxWaitMs As Long) As String
Performs a DNS query to resolve a hostname to an IP address. The IP address is returned if successful. The maximum time to wait (in milliseconds) is passed in maxWaitMs. To wait indefinitely, set maxWaitMs = 0. While blocking, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the DNS query prior to completion. The DnsComplete event is fired when the hostname is resolved to an IP address. This event provides the hostname, IP address, and success status. Returns a null on failure
GetMyCert() As ChilkatCert
Returns the digital certificate to be used for SSL connections. This method would only be called by an SSL server application. The SSL certificate is initially specified by calling InitSslServer.
GetSslServerCert() As ChilkatCert
Returns the SSL server's digital certificate. This method would only be called by the client-side of an SSL connection. It returns the certificate of the remote SSL server for the current SSL connection. If the socket is not connected, or is not connected via SSL, then a NULL reference is returned.
InitSslServer(cert As ChilkatCert) As Long
SSL Server applications should call this method with the SSL server certificate to be used for SSL connections. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure. (ASP) SSL Server Example (VB6) SSL Server Example (Delphi) SSL Server Example (FoxPro) SSL Server Example (VBScript) SSL Server Example
IsUnlocked() As Long
Returns 1 if the component is unlocked.
ReceiveBytes() As Variant
Receives as much data as is immediately available on a connected TCP socket. If no data is immediately available, it waits up to MaxReadIdleMs milliseconds for data to arrive. While waiting for data, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the receive operation prior to completion. Returns a zero-length byte array (as a Variant) on failure
ReceiveBytesN(numBytes As Long) As Variant
Reads exactly numBytes bytes from a connected SSL or non-SSL socket. This method blocks until numBytes bytes are read or the read times out. The timeout is specified by the MaxReadIdleMs property (in milliseconds). While waiting for data, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the receive operation prior to completion. PercentComplete events are also fired as the send progresses and the percentage completion updates from 1% to 100%. Returns a zero-length byte array (as a Variant) on failure
ReceiveCount() As Long
Receives a 4-byte signed integer and returns the value received. Returns -1 on error.
ReceiveString() As String
Receives as much data as is immediately available on a TCP/IP or SSL socket. If no data is immediately available, it waits up to MaxReadIdleMs milliseconds for data to arrive. The incoming bytes are interpreted according to the StringCharset property and returned as a string. While waiting for data, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the receive operation prior to completion. Returns a null on failure
ReceiveStringMaxN(maxByteCount As Long) As String
Same as ReceiveString, but limits the amount of data returned to a maximum of maxByteCount bytes.
(Receives as much data as is immediately available on the TCP/IP or SSL socket. If no data is immediately available, it waits up to MaxReadIdleMs milliseconds for data to arrive. The incoming bytes are interpreted according to the StringCharset property and returned as a string.) Returns a null on failure
ReceiveStringUntilByte(lookForByte As Long) As String
Receives bytes on a connected SSL or non-SSL socket until a specific 1-byte value is read. Returns a string containing all the bytes up to but excluding the lookForByte. Returns a null on failure
ReceiveToCRLF() As String
Reads text from the connected TCP/IP or SSL socket until a CRLF is received. Returns the text up to and including the CRLF. The incoming bytes are interpreted according to the charset specified by the StringCharset property. Returns a null on failure
ReceiveUntilByte(lookForByte As Long) As Variant
Receives bytes on the TCP/IP or SSL socket until a specific 1-byte value is read. Returns all the bytes up to and including the lookForByte. Returns a zero-length byte array (as a Variant) on failure
ReceiveUntilMatch(matchStr As String) As String
Reads text from the connected TCP/IP or SSL socket until a matching string (matchStr) is received. Returns the text up to and including the matching string. As an example, to one might read the header of an HTTP request or a MIME message by reading up to the first double CRLF ("\r\n\r\n"). The incoming bytes are interpreted according to the charset specified by the StringCharset property. While waiting for data, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the receive operation prior to completion. Returns a null on failure (ASP) SSL Client Example (VB6) SSL Client Example (Delphi) SSL Client Example (FoxPro) SSL Client Example (VBScript) SSL Client Example
SaveLastError(filename As String) As Long
Saves the last error information to an XML formatted file.
SendBytes(byteData As Variant) As Long
Sends bytes over a connected SSL or non-SSL socket. If transmission halts for more than MaxSendIdleMs milliseconds, the send is aborted. This is a blocking (synchronous) method. It returns only after the bytes have been sent. While blocking, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the send operation prior to completion. PercentComplete events are also fired as the send progresses and the percentage completion updates from 1% to 100%. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
SendCount(byteCount As Long) As Long
Sends a 4-byte signed integer on the connection. The receiver may call ReceiveCount to receive the integer. The SendCount and ReceiveCount methods are handy for sending byte counts prior to sending data. The sender would send a count followed by the data, and the receiver would receive the count first, and then knows how many data bytes it should expect to receive. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
SendString(stringToSend As String) As Long
Sends a string over a connected SSL or non-SSL (TCP/IP) socket. If transmission halts for more than MaxSendIdleMs milliseconds, the send is aborted. The string is sent in the charset encoding specified by the StringCharset property.
This is a blocking (synchronous) method. It returns after the string has been sent. While blocking, Heartbeat events will fire periodically according to the HeartbeatMs property (in milliseconds). The heartbeat event provides the ability to abort the send operation prior to completion. PercentComplete events are also fired as the send progresses and the percentage completion updates from 1% to 100%. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure. (ASP) SSL Client Example (VB6) SSL Client Example (Delphi) SSL Client Example (FoxPro) SSL Client Example (VBScript) SSL Client Example
SetSslClientCert(cert As ChilkatCert)
To be documented soon.
SleepMs(milliseconds As Long)
Convenience method to force the calling process to sleep for a number of milliseconds.
UnlockComponent(unlockCode As String) As Long
Unlocks the component allowing for the full functionality to be used. An arbitrary string can be passed to initiate a fully-functional 30-day trial. Returns 1 for success, 0 for failure.
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