SMIME Control

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The S/MIME control implements the S/MIME standard for encryption and decryption with public key cryptography and X.509 digital certificates.

Syntax

SMIME

Remarks

The S/MIME control implements the S/MIME V3 standard for encryption and decryption using Public Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS). In addition, the control can be used to both generate and verify RSA digital signatures. Using this control for decrypting or signing requires a valid digital certificate with a private key.

Before performing an operation the input and output values should be specified.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Signing

To sign the current data included in the input message with a certificate, the Certificate property must be set to a valid Certificate object for the signing certificate. The IncludeCertificate and DetachedSignature properties allow you to specify additional details about the signing process. By setting IncludeCertificate to True, digital certificates can be encoded and included in message signature when signing the document. Including a certificate is the preferred method of building signed messages. In addition the S/MIME control can also generate PKCS #7 formatted detached digital signatures and envelopes by specifying DetachedSignature.

Encrypting

To encrypt a message with the control in a PKCS envelope, you must first specify the Certificate for each recipient in the RecipientCerts properties to encrypt the message with. You can easily add these with the AddRecipientCert method. Once you have done this you can call the Encrypt method to encrypt the message with the recipient certificates.

In addition, the control allows you to sign and encrypt simultaneously with the SignAndEncrypt method. You must set all of the properties needed for both Sign and Encrypt

The result of the encrypted or signed data will be replaced in the OutputMessage property and the OutputMessageHeaders property will be filled with the appropriate mime headers if applicable.

Decrypting

Decrypting PKCS envelopes is handled with the Decrypt method. When this method is called, the control will attempt to find an appropriate certificate in the Certificate property that matches the encrypting certificate. If it cannot find an appropriate certificate, an exception will be thrown and the message will not be decrypted.

Verifying Signatures

In addition, the S/MIME control can be used to verify signatures included in signed messages or documents. After specifying the input, VerifySignature can then be used to verify the signature. If the message does not have a certificate attached, more then likely an exception will be thrown and the control will not be able to verify the signature. If VerifySignature is successful, the SignerCert and SignerCertChain properties will be filled with the certificate information of the message signer. This information can be used to verify the signing certificates.

Similar to SignAndEncrypt, DecryptAndVerifySignature can be used to both decrypt and verify the message in Message.

Property List

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The following is the full list of the properties of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Method List

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The following is the full list of the methods of the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Event List

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The following is the full list of the events fired by the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Config Settings

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The following is a list of config settings for the control with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

CertEncoded Property (SMIME Control)

This is the certificate (PEM/base64 encoded).

Syntax

smimecontrol.CertEncoded[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded). This property is used to assign a specific certificate. The CertStore and CertSubject properties also may be used to specify a certificate.

When CertEncoded is set, a search is initiated in the current CertStore for the private key of the certificate. If the key is found, CertSubject is updated to reflect the full subject of the selected certificate; otherwise, CertSubject is set to an empty string.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .CertEncodedB.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Binary String

CertStore Property (SMIME Control)

This is the name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

Syntax

smimecontrol.CertStore[=string]

Default Value

"MY"

Remarks

This is the name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

The CertStoreType property denotes the type of the certificate store specified by CertStore. If the store is password protected, specify the password in CertStorePassword.

CertStore is used in conjunction with the CertSubject property to specify client certificates. If CertStore has a value, and CertSubject or CertEncoded is set, a search for a certificate is initiated. Please see the CertSubject property for details.

Designations of certificate stores are platform dependent.

The following designations are the most common User and Machine certificate stores in Windows:

When the certificate store type is PFXFile, this property must be set to the name of the file. When the type is PFXBlob, the property must be set to the binary contents of a PFX file (i.e., PKCS#12 certificate store).

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .CertStoreB.

Data Type

Binary String

CertStorePassword Property (SMIME Control)

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

Syntax

smimecontrol.CertStorePassword[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

Data Type

String

CertStoreType Property (SMIME Control)

This is the type of certificate store for this certificate.

Syntax

smimecontrol.CertStoreType[=integer]

Possible Values

cstUser(0), 
cstMachine(1), 
cstPFXFile(2), 
cstPFXBlob(3), 
cstJKSFile(4), 
cstJKSBlob(5), 
cstPEMKeyFile(6), 
cstPEMKeyBlob(7), 
cstPublicKeyFile(8), 
cstPublicKeyBlob(9), 
cstSSHPublicKeyBlob(10), 
cstP7BFile(11), 
cstP7BBlob(12), 
cstSSHPublicKeyFile(13), 
cstPPKFile(14), 
cstPPKBlob(15), 
cstXMLFile(16), 
cstXMLBlob(17), 
cstJWKFile(18), 
cstJWKBlob(19), 
cstSecurityKey(20), 
cstBCFKSFile(21), 
cstBCFKSBlob(22), 
cstPKCS11(23), 
cstAuto(99)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This is the type of certificate store for this certificate.

The control supports both public and private keys in a variety of formats. When the cstAuto value is used, the control will automatically determine the type. This property can take one of the following values:

Data Type

Integer

CertSubject Property (SMIME Control)

This is the subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

Syntax

smimecontrol.CertSubject[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

This property must be set after all other certificate properties are set. When this property is set, a search is performed in the current certificate store to locate a certificate with a matching subject.

If a matching certificate is found, the property is set to the full subject of the matching certificate.

If an exact match is not found, the store is searched for subjects containing the value of the property.

If a match is still not found, the property is set to an empty string, and no certificate is selected.

The special value "*" picks a random certificate in the certificate store.

The certificate subject is a comma-separated list of distinguished name fields and values. For instance, "CN=www.server.com, OU=test, C=US, E=support@nsoftware.com". Common fields and their meanings are as follows:

If a field value contains a comma, it must be quoted.

Data Type

String

DetachedSignature Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies whether to include a detached signature when signing a message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.DetachedSignature[=boolean]

Default Value

True

Remarks

This property specifies whether to include a detached signature when signing a message. If the value of this property is True, Message will be encoded as a multipart/signed MIME message with a detached signature when calling Sign. This will create a message with two MIME parts, one with the contents of Message, and another with the detached signature.

If this property is False, the current contents of Message will be PKCS encoded and included with the signature in Message. This will create a single-part message with no MIME boundaries.

Data Type

Boolean

EncryptingAlgorithm Property (SMIME Control)

The property includes textual description of the encrypting algorithm.

Syntax

smimecontrol.EncryptingAlgorithm[=string]

Default Value

"3DES"

Remarks

This property contains either the name of the algorithm (such as 3DES or AES), or an object identifier (OID) string representing the algorithm.

Possible values are as follows:

• "3DES"
• "DES"
• "RC2CBC40"
• "RC2CBC64"
• "RC2CBC128" or "RC2"
• "AESCBC128" or "AES"
• "AESCBC192"
• "AESCBC256"
• "AESGCM128" or "AESGCM"
• "AESGCM192"
• "AESGCM256"

Data Type

String

IncludeCertificate Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies whether to include the signer's certificate with the signed message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.IncludeCertificate[=boolean]

Default Value

True

Remarks

If this property is set to True, the certificate used to sign the message will be encoded and included in a message signature when calling Sign or SignAndEncrypt.

Including a certificate is the preferred method of building signed messages. If you do not include a certificate, the message recipient may not be able to verify the sender's signature.

Data Type

Boolean

IncludeChain Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies whether to include the signer's certificate chain with the signed message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.IncludeChain[=boolean]

Default Value

False

Remarks

If this property is set to True, the entire certificate's chain that was used to sign the message will be encoded and included in the message signature when calling Sign or SignAndEncrypt.

Note: To include the chain, the IncludeCertificate property must also be set to true.

Data Type

Boolean

IncludeHeaders Property (SMIME Control)

This property tells the control whether to include the headers when encoding the message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.IncludeHeaders[=boolean]

Default Value

False

Remarks

If True, the control will include the headers when Sign, Encrypt, or SignAndEncrypt are called. If False, only the message will be encoded.

The default value for IncludeHeaders is False.

Data Type

Boolean

InputFile Property (SMIME Control)

This property includes the file to process.

Syntax

smimecontrol.InputFile[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the file to be processed. Set this property to the full or relative path to the file that will be processed.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this may be set to a file containing content that will be encrypted and/or signed.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this may be set to a file containing the fully encoded S/MIME message.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

Data Type

String

InputMessage Property (SMIME Control)

This property includes the message to process.

Syntax

smimecontrol.InputMessage[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the message to be processed.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this may be set to the content that will be encrypted and/or signed.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this may be set to the fully encoded S/MIME message.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .InputMessageB.

Data Type

Binary String

InputMessageHeaderCount Property (SMIME Control)

The number of records in the InputMessageHeader arrays.

Syntax

smimecontrol.InputMessageHeaderCount[=integer]

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property controls the size of the following arrays:

• InputMessageHeaderField
• InputMessageHeaderValue

The array indices start at 0 and end at InputMessageHeaderCount - 1.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

InputMessageHeaderField Property (SMIME Control)

This property contains the name of the HTTP header (this is the same case as it is delivered).

Syntax

smimecontrol.InputMessageHeaderField(InputMessageHeaderIndex)[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property contains the name of the HTTP Header (this is the same case as it is delivered).

The InputMessageHeaderIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the InputMessageHeaderCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

InputMessageHeaderValue Property (SMIME Control)

This property contains the header contents.

Syntax

smimecontrol.InputMessageHeaderValue(InputMessageHeaderIndex)[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property contains the Header contents.

The InputMessageHeaderIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the InputMessageHeaderCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

InputMessageHeadersString Property (SMIME Control)

This property includes the string version of headers from the S/MIME message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.InputMessageHeadersString[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property contains the string version of headers from the S/MIME message.

This property may be set to the headers of the message that will be decrypted/verified.

Data Type

String

InternalHeaders Property (SMIME Control)

This property includes the headers of the MIME entity inside the encrypted or signed message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.InternalHeaders[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

After an encryption, decryption, signing, or verification operation is completed, this property shows the headers of the encrypted or signed message part.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

MessageEncrypted Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies whether or not the current message is encrypted.

Syntax

smimecontrol.MessageEncrypted

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property indicates whether or not the current message is encrypted. This property will return True if the current message appears to be encrypted, according to the value of MessageHeaders.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Boolean

MessageSigned Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies whether or not the current message is signed.

Syntax

smimecontrol.MessageSigned

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property indicates whether or not the current message is signed. This property will return True if the current message appears to be signed, according to the value of MessageHeaders.

Note: A message that is both signed and encrypted will not appear to be signed until after it is decrypted.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Boolean

OutputFile Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies the output file.

Syntax

smimecontrol.OutputFile[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property specifies the file to which the output will be written. This may be set to an absolute or relative path.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this specifies a file where the fully encoded S/MIME message will be written.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this specifies a file where the decrypted/verified content will be written.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Data Type

String

OutputMessage Property (SMIME Control)

This property includes the output message after processing.

Syntax

smimecontrol.OutputMessage

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property will be populated with the output of the operation if OutputFile is not set.

Encrypt and/or Sign

When encrypting or signing, this will hold the fully encoded S/MIME message.

Decrypt and/or Verify

When decrypting or verifying a signature, this will hold the decrypted/verified content.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .OutputMessageB.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

Binary String

OutputMessageHeaderCount Property (SMIME Control)

The number of records in the OutputMessageHeader arrays.

Syntax

smimecontrol.OutputMessageHeaderCount

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property controls the size of the following arrays:

• OutputMessageHeaderField
• OutputMessageHeaderValue

The array indices start at 0 and end at OutputMessageHeaderCount - 1.

This property is read-only and not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

OutputMessageHeaderField Property (SMIME Control)

This property contains the name of the HTTP header (this is the same case as it is delivered).

Syntax

smimecontrol.OutputMessageHeaderField(OutputMessageHeaderIndex)

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property contains the name of the HTTP Header (this is the same case as it is delivered).

The OutputMessageHeaderIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the OutputMessageHeaderCount property.

This property is read-only and not available at design time.

Data Type

String

OutputMessageHeaderValue Property (SMIME Control)

This property contains the header contents.

Syntax

smimecontrol.OutputMessageHeaderValue(OutputMessageHeaderIndex)

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property contains the Header contents.

The OutputMessageHeaderIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the OutputMessageHeaderCount property.

This property is read-only and not available at design time.

Data Type

String

OutputMessageHeadersString Property (SMIME Control)

This property includes a string version of headers from the S/MIME message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.OutputMessageHeadersString

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property contains the string version of headers from the S/MIME message. The control will populate this property after signing and/or encrypting.

The user should use these additional headers when emailing or sending the OutputMessage. This can be done by including these headers in the OtherHeaders property of the control that you wish to send the message with.

After the decryption or verification, this property contains the headers of the verified or decrypted message.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

Overwrite Property (SMIME Control)

This property indicates whether or not the control should overwrite files.

Syntax

smimecontrol.Overwrite[=boolean]

Default Value

True

Remarks

This property indicates whether or not the control will overwrite OutputFile. If Overwrite is False, an error will be thrown whenever OutputFile exists before an operation. The default value is False.

Data Type

Boolean

RecipientCertCount Property (SMIME Control)

The number of records in the RecipientCert arrays.

Syntax

smimecontrol.RecipientCertCount[=integer]

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property controls the size of the following arrays:

• RecipientCertEncoded
• RecipientCertStore
• RecipientCertStorePassword
• RecipientCertStoreType
• RecipientCertSubject

The array indices start at 0 and end at RecipientCertCount - 1.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

RecipientCertEncoded Property (SMIME Control)

This is the certificate (PEM/base64 encoded).

Syntax

smimecontrol.RecipientCertEncoded(RecipientCertIndex)[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded). This property is used to assign a specific certificate. The RecipientCertStore and RecipientCertSubject properties also may be used to specify a certificate.

When RecipientCertEncoded is set, a search is initiated in the current RecipientCertStore for the private key of the certificate. If the key is found, RecipientCertSubject is updated to reflect the full subject of the selected certificate; otherwise, RecipientCertSubject is set to an empty string.

The RecipientCertIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the RecipientCertCount property.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .RecipientCertEncodedB.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Binary String

RecipientCertStore Property (SMIME Control)

This is the name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

Syntax

smimecontrol.RecipientCertStore(RecipientCertIndex)[=string]

Default Value

"MY"

Remarks

This is the name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

The RecipientCertStoreType property denotes the type of the certificate store specified by RecipientCertStore. If the store is password protected, specify the password in RecipientCertStorePassword.

RecipientCertStore is used in conjunction with the RecipientCertSubject property to specify client certificates. If RecipientCertStore has a value, and RecipientCertSubject or RecipientCertEncoded is set, a search for a certificate is initiated. Please see the RecipientCertSubject property for details.

Designations of certificate stores are platform dependent.

The following designations are the most common User and Machine certificate stores in Windows:

When the certificate store type is PFXFile, this property must be set to the name of the file. When the type is PFXBlob, the property must be set to the binary contents of a PFX file (i.e., PKCS#12 certificate store).

The RecipientCertIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the RecipientCertCount property.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .RecipientCertStoreB.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Binary String

RecipientCertStorePassword Property (SMIME Control)

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

Syntax

smimecontrol.RecipientCertStorePassword(RecipientCertIndex)[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

The RecipientCertIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the RecipientCertCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

RecipientCertStoreType Property (SMIME Control)

This is the type of certificate store for this certificate.

Syntax

smimecontrol.RecipientCertStoreType(RecipientCertIndex)[=integer]

Possible Values

cstUser(0), 
cstMachine(1), 
cstPFXFile(2), 
cstPFXBlob(3), 
cstJKSFile(4), 
cstJKSBlob(5), 
cstPEMKeyFile(6), 
cstPEMKeyBlob(7), 
cstPublicKeyFile(8), 
cstPublicKeyBlob(9), 
cstSSHPublicKeyBlob(10), 
cstP7BFile(11), 
cstP7BBlob(12), 
cstSSHPublicKeyFile(13), 
cstPPKFile(14), 
cstPPKBlob(15), 
cstXMLFile(16), 
cstXMLBlob(17), 
cstJWKFile(18), 
cstJWKBlob(19), 
cstSecurityKey(20), 
cstBCFKSFile(21), 
cstBCFKSBlob(22), 
cstPKCS11(23), 
cstAuto(99)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This is the type of certificate store for this certificate.

The control supports both public and private keys in a variety of formats. When the cstAuto value is used, the control will automatically determine the type. This property can take one of the following values:

The RecipientCertIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the RecipientCertCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

RecipientCertSubject Property (SMIME Control)

This is the subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

Syntax

smimecontrol.RecipientCertSubject(RecipientCertIndex)[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

This property must be set after all other certificate properties are set. When this property is set, a search is performed in the current certificate store to locate a certificate with a matching subject.

If a matching certificate is found, the property is set to the full subject of the matching certificate.

If an exact match is not found, the store is searched for subjects containing the value of the property.

If a match is still not found, the property is set to an empty string, and no certificate is selected.

The special value "*" picks a random certificate in the certificate store.

The certificate subject is a comma-separated list of distinguished name fields and values. For instance, "CN=www.server.com, OU=test, C=US, E=support@nsoftware.com". Common fields and their meanings are as follows:

If a field value contains a comma, it must be quoted.

The RecipientCertIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the RecipientCertCount property.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

SignerCertEncoded Property (SMIME Control)

This is the certificate (PEM/base64 encoded).

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertEncoded[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded). This property is used to assign a specific certificate. The SignerCertStore and SignerCertSubject properties also may be used to specify a certificate.

When SignerCertEncoded is set, a search is initiated in the current SignerCertStore for the private key of the certificate. If the key is found, SignerCertSubject is updated to reflect the full subject of the selected certificate; otherwise, SignerCertSubject is set to an empty string.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .SignerCertEncodedB.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Binary String

SignerCertIssuer Property (SMIME Control)

This is the issuer of the certificate.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertIssuer

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the issuer of the certificate. This property contains a string representation of the name of the issuing authority for the certificate.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

SignerCertSerialNumber Property (SMIME Control)

This is the serial number of the certificate encoded as a string.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertSerialNumber

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the serial number of the certificate encoded as a string. The number is encoded as a series of hexadecimal digits, with each pair representing a byte of the serial number.

This property is read-only.

Data Type

String

SignerCertStore Property (SMIME Control)

This is the name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertStore[=string]

Default Value

"MY"

Remarks

This is the name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

The SignerCertStoreType property denotes the type of the certificate store specified by SignerCertStore. If the store is password protected, specify the password in SignerCertStorePassword.

SignerCertStore is used in conjunction with the SignerCertSubject property to specify client certificates. If SignerCertStore has a value, and SignerCertSubject or SignerCertEncoded is set, a search for a certificate is initiated. Please see the SignerCertSubject property for details.

Designations of certificate stores are platform dependent.

The following designations are the most common User and Machine certificate stores in Windows:

When the certificate store type is PFXFile, this property must be set to the name of the file. When the type is PFXBlob, the property must be set to the binary contents of a PFX file (i.e., PKCS#12 certificate store).

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .SignerCertStoreB.

Data Type

Binary String

SignerCertStorePassword Property (SMIME Control)

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertStorePassword[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

If the type of certificate store requires a password, this property is used to specify the password needed to open the certificate store.

Data Type

String

SignerCertStoreType Property (SMIME Control)

This is the type of certificate store for this certificate.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertStoreType[=integer]

Possible Values

cstUser(0), 
cstMachine(1), 
cstPFXFile(2), 
cstPFXBlob(3), 
cstJKSFile(4), 
cstJKSBlob(5), 
cstPEMKeyFile(6), 
cstPEMKeyBlob(7), 
cstPublicKeyFile(8), 
cstPublicKeyBlob(9), 
cstSSHPublicKeyBlob(10), 
cstP7BFile(11), 
cstP7BBlob(12), 
cstSSHPublicKeyFile(13), 
cstPPKFile(14), 
cstPPKBlob(15), 
cstXMLFile(16), 
cstXMLBlob(17), 
cstJWKFile(18), 
cstJWKBlob(19), 
cstSecurityKey(20), 
cstBCFKSFile(21), 
cstBCFKSBlob(22), 
cstPKCS11(23), 
cstAuto(99)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This is the type of certificate store for this certificate.

The control supports both public and private keys in a variety of formats. When the cstAuto value is used, the control will automatically determine the type. This property can take one of the following values:

Data Type

Integer

SignerCertSubject Property (SMIME Control)

This is the subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertSubject[=string]

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the subject of the certificate used for client authentication.

This property must be set after all other certificate properties are set. When this property is set, a search is performed in the current certificate store to locate a certificate with a matching subject.

If a matching certificate is found, the property is set to the full subject of the matching certificate.

If an exact match is not found, the store is searched for subjects containing the value of the property.

If a match is still not found, the property is set to an empty string, and no certificate is selected.

The special value "*" picks a random certificate in the certificate store.

The certificate subject is a comma-separated list of distinguished name fields and values. For instance, "CN=www.server.com, OU=test, C=US, E=support@nsoftware.com". Common fields and their meanings are as follows:

If a field value contains a comma, it must be quoted.

Data Type

String

SignerCertChainCount Property (SMIME Control)

The number of records in the SignerCertChain arrays.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertChainCount

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property controls the size of the following arrays:

• SignerCertChainEncoded

The array indices start at 0 and end at SignerCertChainCount - 1.

This property is read-only and not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

SignerCertChainEncoded Property (SMIME Control)

This is the certificate (PEM/base64 encoded).

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignerCertChainEncoded(SignerCertChainIndex)

Default Value

""

Remarks

This is the certificate (PEM/Base64 encoded). This property is used to assign a specific certificate. The SignerCertChainStore and SignerCertChainSubject properties also may be used to specify a certificate.

When SignerCertChainEncoded is set, a search is initiated in the current SignerCertChainStore for the private key of the certificate. If the key is found, SignerCertChainSubject is updated to reflect the full subject of the selected certificate; otherwise, SignerCertChainSubject is set to an empty string.

The SignerCertChainIndex parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the SignerCertChainCount property.

To read or write binary data to the property, a Variant (Byte Array) version is provided in .SignerCertChainEncodedB.

This property is read-only and not available at design time.

Data Type

Binary String

SigningAlgorithm Property (SMIME Control)

This property includes a textual description of the signature hash algorithm.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SigningAlgorithm[=string]

Default Value

"SHA256"

Remarks

This property specifies the hash algorithm used to prepare the message digest for signature.

This property must contain either the name of the algorithm (such as MD5 or SHA1), or an object Id (OID) string representing the hash algorithm. Possible values are as follows:

• sha1
• md5
• sha-256 (default)
• sha-384
• sha-512
• sha-224

When read, the value of the property always contains the OID of the algorithm, or an empty string if the algorithm is unknown.

Data Type

String

UseOAEP Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies whether or not to use Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP).

Syntax

smimecontrol.UseOAEP[=boolean]

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property specifies whether or not to use Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP). By default, this value is False and the control will use PKCS1.

To specify nondefault OAEP options, please see OAEPRSAHashAlgorithm, OAEPMGF1HashAlgorithm, and OAEPParams

Data Type

Boolean

UsePSS Property (SMIME Control)

This property specifies whether or not RSA-PSS will be used during signing and verification.

Syntax

smimecontrol.UsePSS[=boolean]

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property specifies whether or not RSA-PSS will be used when signing and verifying messages. The default value is False.

Data Type

Boolean

AddRecipientCert Method (SMIME Control)

This method is used to add recipient certificates used to encrypt messages.

Syntax

smimecontrol.AddRecipientCert CertEncoded

Remarks

This method is used to add recipient certificates to the internal MessageRecipients properties used to encrypt the Message. The recipient certificate must be a valid PKCS-encoded certificate. If the certificate provided is Base64 encoded, it will be decoded first by the object.

The CertMgr control may be used to retrieve the appropriate certificate from the system.

CheckMessageEncrypted Method (SMIME Control)

This method checks whether or not the current message is encrypted.

Syntax

smimecontrol.CheckMessageEncrypted 

Remarks

This method is used to check whether or not the current message is encrypted. This method will return True, if the current message appears to be encrypted, according to the value of OutputMessageHeaders.

CheckMessageSigned Method (SMIME Control)

This method checks whether or not the current message is signed.

Syntax

smimecontrol.CheckMessageSigned 

Remarks

This method is used to check whether or not the current message is signed. This method will return True, if the current message appears to be signed, according to the value of OutputMessageHeaders.

Note: A message that is both signed and encrypted will not appear to be signed until after it is decrypted.

Config Method (SMIME Control)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

smimecontrol.Config ConfigurationString

Remarks

Config is a generic method available in every control. It is used to set and retrieve configuration settings for the control.

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

To set a configuration setting named PROPERTY, you must call Config("PROPERTY=VALUE"), where VALUE is the value of the setting expressed as a string. For boolean values, use the strings "True", "False", "0", "1", "Yes", or "No" (case does not matter).

To read (query) the value of a configuration setting, you must call Config("PROPERTY"). The value will be returned as a string.

Decrypt Method (SMIME Control)

This method decrypts the current Message .

Syntax

smimecontrol.Decrypt 

Remarks

This method takes attempts to decrypt the encrypted message using the certificate in Certificate.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

DecryptAndVerifySignature Method (SMIME Control)

This method decrypts and verifies the signature of the current message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.DecryptAndVerifySignature 

Remarks

This method attempts to both decrypt and verify the signature of the message. All of the properties affected by calling the Decrypt and VerifySignature methods are affected in the same manner.

Note: This function does not attempt to check the validity of the signing certificate.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Encrypt Method (SMIME Control)

This method encrypts the message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.Encrypt 

Remarks

This method encrypts the data specified in InputFile or InputMessage in a PKCS-encoded envelope with all of the recipient certificates specified in the MessageRecipients properties.

The result of the encrypted data will be written to OutputFile, or OutputMessage. The OutputMessageHeaders property will be filled with the required S/MIME headers.

Note: The message headers, including the Sender, Recipient(s), and Subject, are not encrypted. If this is sensitive information, consider including these headers in the message body as a MIME entity and providing other headers for the S/MIME wrapper.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

GetRecipientInfo Method (SMIME Control)

This method gets the recipient information for an encrypted message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.GetRecipientInfo 

Remarks

This method will fire a RecipientInfo event for every recipient certificate for which the Message has been encrypted. The event will contain information about the Issuer and the SerialNumber for each recipient of the message.

GetSignerCertInfo Method (SMIME Control)

This method gets the signature information for an signed message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.GetSignerCertInfo 

Remarks

This method retrieves information about the certificate used to sign the message. This may be called before calling VerifySignature to determine which certificate should be loaded for verification.

When this method is called, the SignerCertInfo event fires once for each signer of the message. Use the parameters of the SignerCertInfo to determine which certificate to specify before calling VerifySignature.

Note: Use of this method is optional. If no certificate is specified before calling VerifySignature, the control will fire the SignerCertInfo and a certificate may be loaded from within the event at that time (if necessary).

Reset Method (SMIME Control)

This method resets the control properties.

Syntax

smimecontrol.Reset 

Remarks

This method resets the values of all message and certificate properties. It is an easy way to reset the control properties before starting to populate with new values.

Sign Method (SMIME Control)

This method signs the current message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.Sign 

Remarks

This method digitally signs the input data with the the certificate provided. Certificates are provided by specifying the Certificate property. The IncludeCertificate and DetachedSignature properties allow you to specify addition details about what to include when signing the message.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

SignAndEncrypt Method (SMIME Control)

This method signs and encrypts the current message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.SignAndEncrypt 

Remarks

This method both signs and encrypts the input message into a single PKCS-encoded envelope. The value in DetachedSignature is ignored: the control will always generate an attached signature when calling this method. All other properties used by calling the Sign and Encrypt methods are used in the same manner.

Note: The message headers, including the Sender, Recipient(s), and Subject, are not encrypted. If this is sensitive information, consider including these headers in the message body as a MIME entity and providing other headers for the S/MIME wrapper.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

VerifySignature Method (SMIME Control)

This method verifies the signature of the current message.

Syntax

smimecontrol.VerifySignature 

Remarks

This method attempts to verify the signature of the input message. If the message does not have a certificate attached, the control will attempt to verify the signature using the certificate supplied in SignerCert (if any). If no certificate is found, the control fails with an error.

If this method is successful, the SignerCert property will contain the certificate information of the message signer.

Note: This function does not attempt to check the validity of the signing certificate.

Input and Output Properties

The control will determine the source and destination of the input and output based on which properties are set.

The order in which the input properties are checked is as follows:

• InputFile
• InputMessage

When a valid source is found the search stops. The order in which the output properties are checked is as follows:

• OutputFile
• OutputMessage: The output data is written to this property if no other destination is specified.

The headers of the input message (if any) will be read from InputMessageHeaders or InputMessageHeadersString.

The headers of the resulting message will be available in the OutputMessageHeaders and OutputMessageHeadersString properties.

Error Event (SMIME Control)

Information about errors during data delivery.

Syntax

Sub smimecontrol_Error(ErrorCode As Integer, Description As String)

Remarks

The Error event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during message processing. Normally the control fails with an error.

The ErrorCode parameter contains an error code, and the Description parameter contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to the Error Codes section.

RecipientInfo Event (SMIME Control)

This event is fired for each recipient certificate of the encrypted message.

Syntax

Sub smimecontrol_RecipientInfo(Issuer As String, SerialNumber As String, SubjectKeyIdentifier As String, EncryptionAlgorithm As String)

Remarks

When GetRecipientInfo is called on a valid encrypted message, this event will fire once for each recipient certificate that the message has been encrypted for. This may be used to identify the certificate to load.

Issuer is the subject of the issuer certificate.

SerialNumber is the serial number of the encryption certificate.

SubjectKeyIdentifier is the X.509 subjectKeyIdentifier extension value of the certificate used to sign the message encoded as a hex string.

EncryptionAlgorithm is the encryption algorithm used to encrypt the message. Possible values are as follows:

• "3DES"
• "DES"
• "RC2CBC40"
• "RC2CBC64"
• "RC2CBC128" or "RC2"
• "AESCBC128" or "AES"
• "AESCBC192"
• "AESCBC256"
• "AESGCM128" or "AESGCM"
• "AESGCM192"
• "AESGCM256"

SignerCertInfo Event (SMIME Control)

This event is fired during verification of the signed message.

Syntax

Sub smimecontrol_SignerCertInfo(Issuer As String, SerialNumber As String, SubjectKeyIdentifier As String, CertEncoded As String)

Remarks

During verification, this event will be raised while parsing the signer's certificate information. The parameters that are populated depend on the options used when the message was originally signed. This information may be used to select the correct certificate for SignerCert to verify the signature. The following parameters may be populated:

Issuer specifies the subject of the issuer of the certificate used to sign the message.

SerialNumber is the serial number of the certificate used to sign the message.

SubjectKeyIdentifier is the X.509 subjectKeyIdentifier extension value of the certificate used to sign the message encoded as a hex string.

CertEncoded is the PEM (Base64 encoded) public certificate needed to verify the signature.

Note: When this value is present, the control will automatically use this value to perform signature verification.

The SignerCert property may be set from within this event. In this manner, the decision of which signer certificate to load may be delayed until the parameters of this event are inspected and the correct certificate can be located and loaded.

Config Settings (SMIME Control)

The control accepts one or more of the following configuration settings. Configuration settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the control, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

SMIME Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (SMIME Control)

SMIME Errors

	25192    Invalid index (RecipientIndex).
	25193    Message decoding error (code).
	25194    Unexpected message type.
	25195    Unsupported hashing/signing algorithm.
	25196    The message does not have any signers.
	25197    The message signature could not be verified.
	25198    Could not locate a suitable decryption certificate.
	25199    The signer certificate could not be found.
	25200    No signing certificate was supplied for signing the message.
	25202    The specified certificate was not the one required.
	25203    The specified certificate could not be found.
	25222    Could not acquire CSP.
	25223    Type validation error.
	25224    Unsupported key size.
	25225    Unrecognized Content-Type object identifier.
	25226    Unrecognized public key format.
	25227    No choices specified.
	25229    Must specify output stream.
	25281    Invalid part index.
	25282    Unknown MIME type.
	25284    No MIME-boundary found.
	25281    Error decoding certificate.