Pem C Reference Documentation

Pem

Current Version: 9.5.0.97

For creating, loading, parsing, converting, and saving in the PEM format.

Note: There are many types of objects that can be stored in PEM format. Chilkat supports certificates, private keys, and public keys. There is still much more to do. If there is a need to support a particular type of content, contact Chilkat (support@chilkatsoft.com).

Create/Dispose

HCkPem instance = CkPem_Create();
// ...
CkPem_Dispose(instance);
HCkPem CkPem_Create(void);

Creates an instance of the HCkPem object and returns a handle ("void *" pointer). The handle is passed in the 1st argument for the functions listed on this page.

void CkPem_Dispose(HCkPem handle);

Objects created by calling CkPem_Create must be freed by calling this method. A memory leak occurs if a handle is not disposed by calling this function. Also, any handle returned by a Chilkat "C" function must also be freed by the application by calling the appropriate Dispose method, such as CkPem_Dispose.

Callback Functions

Callback Functions introduced in Chilkat v9.5.0.56
void CkPem_setAbortCheck(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL (*fnAbortCheck)(void));

Provides the opportunity for a method call to be aborted. If TRUE is returned, the operation in progress is aborted. Return FALSE to allow the current method call to continue. This callback function is called periodically based on the value of the HeartbeatMs property. (If HeartbeatMs is 0, then no callbacks are made.) As an example, to make 5 AbortCheck callbacks per second, set the HeartbeatMs property equal to 200.

void CkPem_setPercentDone(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL (*fnPercentDone)(int pctDone));

Provides the percentage completed for any method that involves network communications or time-consuming processing (assuming it is a method where a percentage completion can be measured). This callback is only called when it is possible to know a percentage completion, and when it makes sense to express the operation as a percentage completed. The pctDone argument will have a value from 1 to 100. For methods that complete very quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks will vary, but the final callback should have a value of 100. For long running operations, no more than one callback per percentage point will occur (for example: 1, 2, 3, ... 98, 99, 100).

This callback counts as an AbortCheck callback, and takes the place of the AbortCheck event when it fires.

The return value indicates whether the method call should be aborted, or whether it should proceed. Return TRUE to abort, and FALSE to proceed.

void CkPem_setProgressInfo(HCkPem cHandle, void (*fnProgressInfo)(const char *name, const char *value));

This is a general callback that provides name/value information about what is happening at certain points during a method call. To see the information provided in ProgressInfo callbacks, if any, write code to handle this event and log the name/value pairs. Most are self-explanatory.

void CkPem_setTaskCompleted(HCkPem cHandle, void (*fnTaskCompleted)(HCkTask hTask));

Called in the background thread when an asynchronous task completes. (Note: When an async method is running, all callbacks are in the background thread.)

Properties

AppendMode
BOOL CkPem_getAppendMode(HCkPem cHandle);
void CkPem_putAppendMode(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL newVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

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DebugLogFilePath
void CkPem_getDebugLogFilePath(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString retval);
void CkPem_putDebugLogFilePath(HCkPem cHandle, const char *newVal);
const char *CkPem_debugLogFilePath(HCkPem cHandle);

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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HeartbeatMs
int CkPem_getHeartbeatMs(HCkPem cHandle);
void CkPem_putHeartbeatMs(HCkPem cHandle, int newVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

This is the number of milliseconds between each AbortCheck event callback. The AbortCheck callback allows an application to abort any event-enabled methods prior to completion. If HeartbeatMs is 0 (the default), no AbortCheck event callbacks will fire.

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LastErrorHtml
void CkPem_getLastErrorHtml(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString retval);
const char *CkPem_lastErrorHtml(HCkPem cHandle);

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
void CkPem_getLastErrorText(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString retval);
const char *CkPem_lastErrorText(HCkPem cHandle);

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
void CkPem_getLastErrorXml(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString retval);
const char *CkPem_lastErrorXml(HCkPem cHandle);

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
BOOL CkPem_getLastMethodSuccess(HCkPem cHandle);
void CkPem_putLastMethodSuccess(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL newVal);

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

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NumCerts
int CkPem_getNumCerts(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of certificates in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st certificate, call GetCert(0).

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NumCrls
int CkPem_getNumCrls(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.77

The number of certificate revocation lists (CRLs) in the loaded PEM.

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NumCsrs
int CkPem_getNumCsrs(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.50

The number of certificate signing requests (CSRs) in the loaded PEM.

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NumPrivateKeys
int CkPem_getNumPrivateKeys(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of private keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st private key, call GetPrivateKey(0).

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NumPublicKeys
int CkPem_getNumPublicKeys(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

The number of public keys in the loaded PEM. To get the 1st public key, call GetPublicKey(0).

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PrivateKeyFormat
void CkPem_getPrivateKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString retval);
void CkPem_putPrivateKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle, const char *newVal);
const char *CkPem_privateKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Controls the format to be used for unencrypted private keys when writing a PEM. Possible values are "pkcs1" and "pkcs8". (OpenSSL typically uses the "pkcs8" format.) When writing encrypted private keys to PEM, the format is always PKCS8, and the PEM header is "BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY". The default is "pkcs8".

The PKCS1 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY.
The PKCS8 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN PRIVATE KEY.

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PublicKeyFormat
void CkPem_getPublicKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString retval);
void CkPem_putPublicKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle, const char *newVal);
const char *CkPem_publicKeyFormat(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Controls the format to be used for public keys when writing a PEM. Possible values are "pkcs1" and "pkcs8". (OpenSSL typically uses the "pkcs8" format.) The default is "pkcs8".

The PKCS1 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY.
The PKCS8 format uses the PEM header: BEGIN PUBLIC KEY.

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Utf8
BOOL CkPem_getUtf8(HCkPem cHandle);
void CkPem_putUtf8(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL newVal);

When set to TRUE, all "const char *" arguments are interpreted as utf-8 strings. If set to FALSE (the default), then "const char *" arguments are interpreted as ANSI strings. Also, when set to TRUE, and Chilkat method returning a "const char *" is returning the utf-8 representation. If set to FALSE, all "const char *" return values are ANSI strings.

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VerboseLogging
BOOL CkPem_getVerboseLogging(HCkPem cHandle);
void CkPem_putVerboseLogging(HCkPem cHandle, 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.

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Version
void CkPem_getVersion(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString retval);
const char *CkPem_version(HCkPem cHandle);

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

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Methods

AddCert
BOOL CkPem_AddCert(HCkPem cHandle, HCkCert cert, BOOL includeChain);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a certificate, and potentially the certs in its chain of authentication to the PEM. If includeChain is TRUE, then certificates in the cert's chain of authentication up to and including the root are automatically added.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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AddItem
BOOL CkPem_AddItem(HCkPem cHandle, const char *itemType, const char *encoding, const char *itemData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.59

Adds a certificate, private key, public key, or csr to the PEM. The possible values for itemType are "certificate" (or "cert"), "privateKey", "publicKey", or "csr". The encoding can be "Base64", "modBase64", "Base32", "QP" (for quoted-printable), "URL" (for url-encoding), "Hex", "url_oauth", "url_rfc1738", "url_rfc2396", and "url_rfc3986". The itemData contains the ASN.1 data in string format according to the encoding specified in encoding.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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AddPrivateKey
BOOL CkPem_AddPrivateKey(HCkPem cHandle, HCkPrivateKey privateKey);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a private key to the PEM object.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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AddPrivateKey2
BOOL CkPem_AddPrivateKey2(HCkPem cHandle, HCkPrivateKey privKey, HCkCertChain certChain);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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AddPublicKey
BOOL CkPem_AddPublicKey(HCkPem cHandle, HCkPublicKey pubkey);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Adds a public key to the PEM object.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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Clear
BOOL CkPem_Clear(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Removes all content from this PEM object.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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GetCert
HCkCert CkPem_GetCert(HCkPem cHandle, int index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns NULL on failure

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GetEncodedItem
BOOL CkPem_GetEncodedItem(HCkPem cHandle, const char *itemType, const char *itemSubType, const char *encoding, int index, HCkString outStr);
const char *CkPem_getEncodedItem(HCkPem cHandle, const char *itemType, const char *itemSubType, const char *encoding, int index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.50

Returns the encoded contents of the Nth item of a particular type (0-based index). The possible values for itemType are "certificate" (or "cert"), "privateKey", "publicKey", or "csr". Input string args are case-insensitive. If the itemType is "privateKey", the itemSubType may be "der" or "pkcs8". If the itemType is "publicKey", the itemSubType may be "der" or "pkcs1". The itemSubType is ignored for other values of itemType. The valid encoding modes are "Base64", "modBase64", "Base32", "Base58", "QP" (for quoted-printable), "URL" (for url-encoding), "Hex", "url_oauth", "url_rfc1738", "url_rfc2396", and "url_rfc3986".

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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GetPrivateKey
HCkPrivateKey CkPem_GetPrivateKey(HCkPem cHandle, int index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns NULL on failure

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GetPublicKey
HCkPublicKey CkPem_GetPublicKey(HCkPem cHandle, int index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns NULL on failure

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LoadP7b
BOOL CkPem_LoadP7b(HCkPem cHandle, HCkByteData p7bData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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LoadP7bAsync (1)
HCkTask CkPem_LoadP7bAsync(HCkPem cHandle, HCkByteData p7bData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadP7b method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

Returns NULL on failure

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LoadP7bFile
BOOL CkPem_LoadP7bFile(HCkPem cHandle, const char *path);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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LoadP7bFileAsync (1)
HCkTask CkPem_LoadP7bFileAsync(HCkPem cHandle, const char *path);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadP7bFile method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

Returns NULL on failure

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LoadPem
BOOL CkPem_LoadPem(HCkPem cHandle, const char *pemContent, const char *password);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Loads the PEM from a PEM string. If encrypted, then the password is required for decryption. Otherwise, an empty string (or any string) may be passed for the password.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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LoadPemAsync (1)
HCkTask CkPem_LoadPemAsync(HCkPem cHandle, const char *pemContent, const char *password);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadPem method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

Returns NULL on failure

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LoadPemFile
BOOL CkPem_LoadPemFile(HCkPem cHandle, const char *path, const char *password);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Loads the PEM from a PEM file. If encrypted, then the password is required for decryption. Otherwise, an empty string (or any string) may be passed for the password.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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LoadPemFileAsync (1)
HCkTask CkPem_LoadPemFileAsync(HCkPem cHandle, const char *path, const char *password);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Creates an asynchronous task to call the LoadPemFile method with the arguments provided. (Async methods are available starting in Chilkat v9.5.0.52.)

Returns NULL on failure

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LoadTaskCaller
BOOL CkPem_LoadTaskCaller(HCkPem cHandle, HCkTask task);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.80

Loads the caller of the task's async method.

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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RemoveCert
BOOL CkPem_RemoveCert(HCkPem cHandle, int index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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RemovePrivateKey
BOOL CkPem_RemovePrivateKey(HCkPem cHandle, int index);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

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

Returns TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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ToJks
HCkJavaKeyStore CkPem_ToJks(HCkPem cHandle, const char *alias, const char *password);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Converts the PEM to JKS and returns the Java KeyStore object. If the alias is non-empty, the 1st object (private key or certificate) will use the alias, and all others (if any) will receive auto-generated aliases. The JKS returned will be encrypted using the provided password. If the PEM contains only certificates (no private keys), then the password is unused.

Returns NULL on failure

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ToPem
BOOL CkPem_ToPem(HCkPem cHandle, HCkString outStr);
const char *CkPem_toPem(HCkPem cHandle);
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 TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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ToPemEx
BOOL CkPem_ToPemEx(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL extendedAttrs, BOOL noKeys, BOOL noCerts, BOOL noCaCerts, const char *encryptAlg, const char *password, HCkString outStr);
const char *CkPem_toPemEx(HCkPem cHandle, BOOL extendedAttrs, BOOL noKeys, BOOL noCerts, BOOL noCaCerts, const char *encryptAlg, const char *password);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Write the PFX to a PEM formatted string. If extendedAttrs is TRUE, then extended properties (Bag Attributes and Key Attributes) are output. If noKeys is TRUE, then no private keys are output. If noCerts is TRUE, then no certificates are output. If noCaCerts is TRUE, 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 TRUE for success, FALSE for failure.

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ToPfx
HCkPfx CkPem_ToPfx(HCkPem cHandle);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.49

Converts the PEM to PKCS12 and returns the PFX object. The PFX object has method for saving to a file, exporting to an encoded string, converting to a JKS (Java Keystore), or even converting back to PEM.

Note: The PEM must contain at least one private key to convert to PKCS12. The typical case is that a PKCS12 contains a single private key, along with the associated certificate and the certificates in the chain of authentication.

Returns NULL on failure

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