SCard C++ Reference Documentation

CkSCard

Current Version: 11.1.0

Requires Chilkat Bundle License

A wrapper around the Resource Manager API of the PC/SC architecture for smart cards. On Windows it is a wrapper around the WinSCard functions implemented in the winscard.dll. On other systems (such as Linux) it is a wrapper around the same API implemented in pcsc-lite.so.

This class is introduced in Chilkat v9.5.0.87.

Object Creation

// Local variable on the stack
CkSCard obj;

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

Properties

ActiveProtocol

void get_ActiveProtocol(CkString &str);
const char *activeProtocol(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

The name of the active protocol if connected smart card reader, or an empty string if not connected. Possible values are T0, T1, raw, undefined, or if not connected to a reader.

CardAtr

void get_CardAtr(CkString &str);
const char *cardAtr(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

This is the Current ATR of a card in the connected reader.

ConnectedReader

void get_ConnectedReader(CkString &str);
const char *connectedReader(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

The name of the currently connected smart card reader, or an empty string if not connected.

Context

void get_Context(CkString &str);
const char *context(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Contains the string user or system if this object has established a context (by calling EstablishContext). Contains the empty string if no context is established.

DebugLogFilePath

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

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

Example showing how to use DebugLogFilePath.

LastErrorHtml

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

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.

LastErrorText

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

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.

More Information and Examples

Concept of LastErrorText LastErrorText Standard Information

LastErrorXml

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

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.

LastMethodSuccess

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

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.

PcscLibPath

void get_PcscLibPath(CkString &str);
const char *pcscLibPath(void);
void put_PcscLibPath(const char *ansiOrUtf8Str);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

For Linux systems only. Specifies the full path of the libpcsclite.so shared lib. This property should only be used if the libpcsclite.so is in a non-standard location or if Chilkat cannot automatically located it.

ReaderStatus

void get_ReaderStatus(CkString &str);
const char *readerStatus(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

The current status of the connected reader. Possible values are:

absent - There is no card in the reader.
present - There is a card in the reader, but it has not been moved into position for use.
swallowed - There is a card in the reader in position for use. The card is not powered.
powered - Power is being provided to the card, but the reader driver is unaware of the mode of the card.
negotiable - The card has been reset and is awaiting PTS negotiation.
specific - The card has been reset and specific communication protocols have been established.

ScardError

void get_ScardError(CkString &str);
const char *scardError(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

The last error returned by an underlying PC/SC function. Can be one of the following:

SCARD_W_REMOVED_CARD - The smart card has been removed, so that further communication is not possible.
SCARD_W_RESET_CARD - The smart card has been reset, so any shared state information is invalid.

Utf8

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

When set to true, all const char * arguments and return values are interpreted as UTF-8 strings. When set to false, they are interpreted as ANSI strings.

In Chilkat v11.0.0 and later, the default value is true. Before v11.0.0, it was false.

VerboseLogging

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

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

Version

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

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

More Information and Examples

How to get the Chilkat version at runtime.

Methods

BeginTransaction

bool BeginTransaction(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Establishes a temporary exclusive access mode for doing a series of commands in a transaction.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

CheckStatus

bool CheckStatus(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Check the current status of the currently connected reader. Calling this method updates the ReaderStatus, ActiveProtocol, and CardAtr properties. If this method returns false, none of the properties are updated.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

PC/SC Check the Status of each Smart Card Reader (and USB token)

Connect

bool Connect(const char *reader, const char *shareMode, const char *preferredProtocol);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Establish a connection to a reader. The reader is the name of a reader returned from ListReaders. The shareMode can be shared, exclusive, or direct. The preferredProtocol can be 0 (valid only if the shareMode = direct), T0, T1, raw, or no_preference. (No preference is effectively T0 or T1.)

If successful, the state of this object instance is that it's connected to the reader.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

PC/SC Check the Status of each Smart Card Reader (and USB token)

Disconnect

bool Disconnect(const char *disposition);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Terminates a connection with a reader. The disposition can be one of the following values:

leave: Do nothing.
reset: Reset the card (warm reset).
unpower: Power down the card (cold reset).
eject: Eject the card.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

PC/SC Check the Status of each Smart Card Reader (and USB token)

EndTransaction

bool EndTransaction(const char *disposition);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Ends a previously begun transaction. The disposition is the action to be taken on the reader, and can be leave which is to do nothing, reset, unpower, or eject.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

EstablishContext

bool EstablishContext(const char *scope);

Introduced in version 9.5.0.87

Creates an Application Context to the PC/SC Resource Manager. This must be the first WinSCard function called in a PC/SC application. The scope can be user or system. After calling, this object will have context and all other methods will use the established context. The Context property will hold the value user or system if context was established, or will be empty if no context was established.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

FindSmartcards

bool FindSmartcards(CkJsonObject &json);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Returns JSON containing information about the smartcards currently inserted into readers.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

PC/SC Find Inserted Smart Cards

GetAttrib

bool GetAttrib(const char *attr, CkBinData &bd);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Get an attribute from the IFD Handler (reader driver).

The attr can be one of the following:

The attribute data is returned in bd.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

GetAttribStr

bool GetAttribStr(const char *attr, CkString &outStr);
const char *getAttribStr(const char *attr);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Get a string typed attribute from the IFD Handler (reader driver).

The attr can be one of the following, but should be limited to the particular attributes that return string values.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

GetAttribUint

unsigned long GetAttribUint(const char *attr);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Get an unsigned integer typed attribute from the IFD Handler (reader driver).

The attr can be one of the following, but should be limited to the particular attributes that return unsigned integer values.

Returns 0xFFFFFFFF on failure.

GetStatusChange

bool GetStatusChange(int maxWaitMs, CkStringTable &stReaderNames, CkJsonObject &json);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Blocks execution until the current availability of the cards in a specific set of readers changes.

This function receives a list of reader names in stReaderNames. It then blocks waiting for a change in state to occur for a maximum blocking time of maxWaitMs (in milliseconds) or forever if 0 is used.

Information about the current reader states and which reader(s) changed is returned in json. See the example below for more information.

To wait for a reader event (reader added or removed) you may use the special reader name \\?PnP?\Notification.

To cancel the ongoing call, call Cancel().

The stReaderNames contains the reader names to check. The json is empty on input, and if the call returns success contains information about the state (after the event change) of each reader.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

PC/SC Wait for Smart Card Status Change (Inserted, Removed from Reader, etc.)

GetStatusChangeAsync ⁽¹⁾

CkTask *GetStatusChangeAsync(int maxWaitMs, CkStringTable &stReaderNames, CkJsonObject &json);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Creates an asynchronous task to call the GetStatusChange method with the arguments provided.

Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.

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

Returns NULL on failure

More Information and Examples

PC/SC Async Wait for Smart Card Status Change (Inserted, Removed from Reader, etc.)

GetStatusChangeCancel

bool GetStatusChangeCancel(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Cancels an ongoing GetStatusChange method call. This would be called from a separate thread in your application if GetStatusChange was called synchronously.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

ListReaderGroups

bool ListReaderGroups(CkStringTable &readerGroups);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Returns a list of currently available reader groups on the system. The reader groups are returned in readerGroups.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

ListReaders

bool ListReaders(CkStringTable &st);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Returns a list of currently available readers on the system.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples

PC/SC List Smart Card Readers (and USB Tokens)

Reconnect

bool Reconnect(const char *shareMode, const char *preferredProtocol, const char *action);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Reestablishes a connection to a reader that was previously connected to using Connect().

In a multi application environment it is possible for an application to reset the card in shared mode. When this occurs any other application trying to access certain commands will be returned the value SCARD_W_RESET_CARD. When this occurs Reconnect() must be called in order to acknowledge that the card was reset and allow it to change its state accordingly.

The shareMode can be shared, exclusive, or direct. The preferredProtocol can be 0 (valid only if the shareMode = direct), T0, T1, raw, or no_preference. (No preference is effectively T0 or T1.) The action is the desired action taken on the card/reader. It can be leave, reset, unpower, or eject.

If successful, the state of this object instance is that it's connected to the reader.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

ReleaseContext

bool ReleaseContext(void);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Destroys a communication context to the PC/SC Resource Manager. This must be the last function called in a PC/SC application.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

SendControl

bool SendControl(unsigned long controlCode, CkBinData &bdSend, CkBinData &bdRecv);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Sends a command directly to the IFD Handler (reader driver) to be processed by the reader.

This is useful for creating client side reader drivers for functions like PIN pads, biometrics, or other extensions to the normal smart card reader that are not normally handled by PC/SC.

The command data is sent in bdSend. The response is written to bdRecv.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

SendControlHex

bool SendControlHex(unsigned long controlCode, const char *sendData, CkBinData &bdRecv);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Sends a command directly to the IFD Handler (reader driver) to be processed by the reader.

This is useful for creating client side reader drivers for functions like PIN pads, biometrics, or other extensions to the normal smart card reader that are not normally handled by PC/SC.

The command data is provided as a hex string in sendData. The response is written to bdRecv.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

Transmit

bool Transmit(const char *protocol, CkBinData &bdSend, CkBinData &bdRecv, int maxRecvLen);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Sends an APDU to the smart card contained in the currently connected reader. The protocol can be T0, T1, or raw. The APDU to be sent is contained in bdSend. The response from the card is contained in bdRecv. The maxRecvLen is the maximum response size (in bytes) willing to be accepted.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

TransmitHex

bool TransmitHex(const char *protocol, const char *apduHex, CkBinData &bdRecv, int maxRecvLen);

Introduced in version 9.50.87

Sends an APDU to the smart card contained in the currently connected reader. The protocol can be T0, T1, or raw. The APDU (in hexadecimal) to be sent is passed in apduHex. The response from the card is contained in bdRecv. The maxRecvLen is the maximum response size (in bytes) willing to be accepted.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

Events

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

For example:

  CkSCard scard;

  MySCardProgress callbackObj;

  scard.put_EventCallbackObject(&callbackObj);

MySCardProgress example:

#include "CkBaseProgress.h"

class MySCardProgress : public CkBaseProgress {

  public:
    MySCardProgress();
    virtual ~MySCardProgress();

    void AbortCheck(bool  *abort);

    void PercentDone(int pctDone, bool  *abort);

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

    void TaskCompleted(CkTask &task);

};

AbortCheck

void AbortCheck(bool *abort);

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

Chilkat Event Callback Examples

PercentDone

void PercentDone(int pctDone, bool *abort);

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

Chilkat Event Callback Examples

ProgressInfo

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

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.

More Information and Examples

Chilkat Event Callback Examples

TaskCompleted

void TaskCompleted(CkTask &task);

Called from the background thread when an asynchronous task completes.

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