Secrets Dart Reference Documentation
CkSecrets
Current Version: 11.6.1
Chilkat.Secrets
Use in-memory secrets when values should exist only for the lifetime of
the running process.
Store and retrieve secrets as strings, binary data, or structured JSON.
Start with the
Conceptual Overview
and
Components of a Secret Name.
For an extended overview, see the
Secrets Class Overview.
Manage application secrets through one consistent API.
Chilkat.Secrets provides a unified interface for storing,
retrieving, listing, and deleting secrets across local, cloud-based, and
in-memory secret stores. It supports string, binary, and JSON secrets, making
it useful for passwords, API keys, OAuth credentials, tokens, unlock codes,
certificates, and private configuration data.
Local secure storage
Cloud secret managers
Temporary secrets
Flexible content types
Object Creation
// pubspec.yaml:
// dependencies:
// chilkat: ^11.6.1
import 'package:chilkat/chilkat.dart';
// Once per process, before any other Chilkat call:
Chilkat.unlockBundle('Anything for 30-day trial'); // shorthand for CkGlobal().unlockBundle(..)
final secrets = CkSecrets();
// ... the native object is released when `secrets` is garbage collected, or now with secrets.dispose().Creates the underlying native Chilkat object. Use a CkSecrets only from the isolate that created it: Chilkat objects cannot be sent between isolates. Every call is synchronous; in a Flutter app, run long operations (network, large files) inside Isolate.run, creating the Chilkat objects inside the isolate.
Releases the native object immediately instead of waiting for garbage collection (useful for a large CkBinData or an open socket). Calling it more than once is harmless; any other use of the object afterwards throws a StateError. isDisposed tells whether it has been called.
Errors
A method that can fail throws a ChilkatException: a method whose only outcome is success or failure returns void and throws on failure; a method producing a String or an object returns it and throws where Chilkat would have returned null. The exception carries the object's LastErrorText at the time of the failure (lastErrorText), the class and method names (className, methodName) and a one-line message. Properties never throw, and methods that answer a question (has..., is..., ...) return a plain bool.
try {
secrets.someMethod(...);
} on ChilkatException catch (e) {
print(e); // CkSecrets.someMethod failed: <reason>
print(e.lastErrorText); // the full Chilkat log of the failed call
}Properties
AutoSplit
bool get autoSplit
set autoSplit(bool value)
The AutoSplit property is specific to local_manager secrets on Windows. The Windows Credentials Manager supports a maximum of 2560 bytes per secret. If a secret exceeds this size, it will be automatically compressed and split when created or updated, and automatically recomposed when retrieved.
A secret can be split into a maximum of 10 parts.
The default value is true.
Compression
bool get compression
set compression(bool value)
If set to true, then the contents of the secret will be stored compressed. The default value of this property is false.
DebugLogFilePath
String get debugLogFilePath
set debugLogFilePath(String value)
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.
LastErrorHtml
String get 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.
topLastErrorText
String get 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.
LastErrorXml
String get 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.
topLastMethodSuccess
bool get lastMethodSuccess
set lastMethodSuccess(bool value)
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.
Location
String get location
set location(String value)
The location of the secrets. Possible values are:
local_manager- On Windows this is the Credentials Manager. On MacOS and iOS it is the Keychain. This is not yet an option on Linux or Android.aws_secrets_manager- AWS Secrets Managerazure_key_vault- Azure Key Vaultibm_cloud- IBM Cloud Secrets Manageroracle_cloud- Oracle Cloud Secretsdoppler- Doppler Secretsmemory- In-Memory Secrets
The default location is the local_manager. On Linux and Android, local_manager will behave the same as memory.
UncommonOptions
String get uncommonOptions
set uncommonOptions(String value)
This is a catch-all property to be used for uncommon needs. This property defaults to the empty string and should typically remain empty.
topVerboseLogging
bool get verboseLogging
set verboseLogging(bool value)
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
String get version
Methods
DeleteSecret
Deletes a secret. Cloud secrets managers will typically disable the secret and schedule the secret for deletion after some number of days.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
GetSecretBd
Fetches a binary secret and returns the content in bd.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
GetSecretJson
Fetches a JSON secret and returns the content in jsonOut.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
GetSecretSb
Fetches a string secret and returns the content in sb.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
GetSecretStr
Fetches a string secret and returns the content of the secret.
Throws a ChilkatException on failure (where the description says null is returned, the Dart method throws instead).
ListSecrets
Lists secrets matching the wildcarded or exact values passed in json. The results of the query are returned in jsonOut.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
SecretSpecToJson
Converts a secret specification string (secretSpec) to JSON. A secret specification string is formatted as "!!part1|part2|part3|part4" where parts 3 and 4 are optional. json is the output argument.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
SetBootstrapSecret
Accessing a cloud-based secrets manager requires authentication credentials, which cannot be stored in the manager itself. Instead, they must be securely stored locally.
One solution is to store the authentication credentials as a secret in the Windows Credentials Manager or Apple Keychain. These credentials serve as the bootstrap secret for authenticating with the cloud-based secrets manager.
jsonId contains the name of the bootstrap secret. secretContent contains the bootstrap's secret content.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
UpdateSecretBd
Creates a binary secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the binary content of the secret in secret.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
UpdateSecretJson
Creates a JSON secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the JSON content of the secret in secret.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
UpdateSecretSb
Creates a string secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the string content of the secret in sb.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
UpdateSecretStr
Creates a string secret if it does not yet exist, or updates an existing secret. The name of the secret is specified in jsonId, and the string content of the secret in secret.
Note: Starting in Chilkat v11.3.0, if the service = "Chilkat" and the username = "unlock_code", then the secret (which is the Chilkat unlock code) can be stored and retrieved without Chilkat being unlocked. This allows for the Chilkat unlock code itself to be persisted to a secrets manager.
Returns normally on success; throws a ChilkatException on failure.
Events
All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a call, CkSecrets raises three events so your application can show progress and offer a way out. Each event is a nullable callback property on the object; assign a function to receive it, or null to stop receiving it:
final secrets = CkSecrets();
secrets.onPercentDone = (pct) {
print('$pct%');
return false; // return true to abort the method in progress
};
secrets.onProgressInfo = (name, value) => print('$name: $value');
secrets.heartbeatMs = 250; // raise onAbortCheck 4 times per second during Chilkat calls
secrets.onAbortCheck = () => _userPressedCancel;AbortCheck fires at regular intervals controlled by the HeartbeatMs property (0, the default, disables it); PercentDone fires when an operation's completion percentage is known; ProgressInfo delivers named progress values. Returning true from onAbortCheck or onPercentDone aborts the running method, which then throws a ChilkatException.
Events fire on the thread that called the method, before that method returns. An exception thrown inside a callback aborts the running method and is rethrown from it once the native library has returned. In a Flutter app the callbacks run inside the worker isolate that owns the object; forward progress to the UI through a SendPort, and let onAbortCheck read a flag the UI sets the same way.
AbortCheck
bool Function()? onAbortCheck
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.
Example:
secrets.heartbeatMs = 250; // call onAbortCheck 4 times per second
var cancelRequested = false;
secrets.onAbortCheck = () => cancelRequested;
// ... set cancelRequested = true (e.g. from a message received on a ReceivePort) to abort the method in progressPercentDone
bool Function(int pctDone)? onPercentDone
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.
Example:
secrets.onPercentDone = (pct) {
// pct ranges from 1 to 100.
print('Percent done: $pct');
return false; // return true to abort the method in progress
};ProgressInfo
void Function(String name, String value)? onProgressInfo
This event callback provides tag name/value pairs that detail what occurs during a method call. To discover existing tag names, create code to handle the event, emit the pairs, and review them. Most tag names are self-explanatory.
Note: Some Chilkat methods don't fire any ProgressInfo events.
Example:
secrets.onProgressInfo = (name, value) => print('$name: $value');