Secrets Rust Reference Documentation
Secrets
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
// Cargo.toml:
// [dependencies]
// chilkat = "11.6"
use chilkat::Secrets;
// Once per process, before any other Chilkat call:
chilkat::unlock_bundle("Anything for 30-day trial")?; // shorthand for Global::new().unlock_bundle(..)
let secrets = Secrets::new();
// ... the native object is freed when `secrets` goes out of scope.Creates the underlying native Chilkat object (Secrets also implements Default). Every method takes &self, so the object never needs to be declared mut. A Secrets is Send but not Sync: it may be moved to another thread, but a reference to it cannot be shared between threads at the same time.
The native object is freed when the Secrets is dropped — when it goes out of scope, or explicitly with drop(secrets). There is no Dispose method to call.
Errors
Methods that can fail return chilkat::Result<T>, which is Result<T, chilkat::Error>: a method whose only outcome is success or failure returns Result<()>, a method producing a string or an object returns Result<String> or Result<Secrets>. The error carries the object's LastErrorText at the time of the failure (Error::last_error_text), the class and method names, and implements std::error::Error, so ? works in any function returning chilkat::Result or a Box<dyn Error>. Properties never fail, and methods that answer a question (has_..., is_..., ...) return a plain bool.
match secrets.some_method(...) {
Ok(value) => println!("{value:?}"),
Err(e) => eprintln!("{}", e.last_error_text()),
}Properties
AutoSplit
pub fn auto_split(&self) -> bool
pub fn set_auto_split(&self, value: bool)
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
pub fn compression(&self) -> bool
pub fn set_compression(&self, value: bool)
If set to true, then the contents of the secret will be stored compressed. The default value of this property is false.
DebugLogFilePath
pub fn debug_log_file_path(&self) -> String
pub fn set_debug_log_file_path(&self, value: &str)
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
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
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
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
pub fn last_method_success(&self) -> bool
pub fn set_last_method_success(&self, value: bool)
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
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
pub fn uncommon_options(&self) -> String
pub fn set_uncommon_options(&self, value: &str)
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
pub fn verbose_logging(&self) -> bool
pub fn set_verbose_logging(&self, value: bool)
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
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 Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for failure.
GetSecretBd
Fetches a binary secret and returns the content in bd.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for failure.
GetSecretJson
Fetches a JSON secret and returns the content in json_out.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for failure.
GetSecretSb
Fetches a string secret and returns the content in sb.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for failure.
GetSecretStr
Fetches a string secret and returns the content of the secret.
Returns Err(chilkat::Error) on failure.
ListSecrets
Lists secrets matching the wildcarded or exact values passed in json. The results of the query are returned in json_out.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for failure.
SecretSpecToJson
Converts a secret specification string (secret_spec) 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 Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for 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.
json_id contains the name of the bootstrap secret. secret_content contains the bootstrap's secret content.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for 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 json_id, and the binary content of the secret in secret.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for 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 json_id, and the JSON content of the secret in secret.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for 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 json_id, and the string content of the secret in sb.
Returns Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for 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 json_id, 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 Ok(()) for success, Err(chilkat::Error) for failure.
Events
All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a call, Secrets raises three events so your application can show progress and offer a way out. Implement the chilkat::EventHandler trait (every method has a do-nothing default, so implement only the events you need) and install it with set_event_handler:
use chilkat::{Secrets, EventHandler};
struct Progress;
impl EventHandler for Progress {
fn percent_done(&mut self, pct: i32) -> bool {
println!("{pct}%");
false // return true to abort the method in progress
}
fn progress_info(&mut self, name: &str, value: &str) {
println!("{name}: {value}");
}
}
let secrets = Secrets::new();
secrets.set_event_handler(Progress);
secrets.set_heartbeat_ms(250); // raise abort_check 4 times per second during Chilkat callsFor a one-off handler the closure methods avoid writing a type; they may be combined, and each replaces the previously set closure for that one event (installing a closure removes a trait handler set earlier, and vice versa):
secrets.on_percent_done(|pct| { println!("{pct}%"); false });
secrets.on_progress_info(|name, value| println!("{name}: {value}"));Installs handler as the receiver of this object's events, replacing any handler or closures set earlier. The object owns the handler, which must be Send + 'static.
Removes the handler and any closures; events are no longer delivered.
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 abort_check or percent_done aborts the running method, which then returns Err.
Events fire on the thread that called the method, before that method returns. A panic inside a handler aborts the running method and is re-raised to the caller once the native library has returned, so it never unwinds through C frames. To abort a long operation from another thread, share an Arc<AtomicBool> with an abort_check handler, or set the object's AbortCurrent property to true.
AbortCheck
fn abort_check(&mut self) -> bool
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 (closure form; the EventHandler trait method is equivalent):
secrets.set_heartbeat_ms(250); // call abort_check 4 times per second
let stop = std::sync::Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
let flag = stop.clone();
secrets.on_abort_check(move || flag.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed));
// ... another thread may now abort the method in progress with stop.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed)PercentDone
fn percent_done(&mut self, pct: i32) -> bool
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 pct_done 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 pct_done 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 (closure form; the EventHandler trait method is equivalent):
secrets.on_percent_done(|pct| {
// pct ranges from 1 to 100.
println!("Percent done: {pct}");
false // return true to abort the method in progress
});ProgressInfo
fn progress_info(&mut self, name: &str, value: &str)
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 (closure form; the EventHandler trait method is equivalent):
secrets.on_progress_info(|name, value| println!("{name}: {value}"));