PGPKeyring Component

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The PGPKeyring component accesses and manages PGP keyring files.

Syntax

nsoftware.SecureBlackbox.Pgpkeyring

Remarks

PGPKeyring is used to hold and access PGP keys. It contains information about both public keys and secret keys, which are usually stored in two separate files: "public keyring" and "secret keyring", respectively.

Property List

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

Method List

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

Event List

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

Config Settings

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

FIPSMode Property (PGPKeyring Component)

Reserved.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public bool FIPSMode { get; set; }

Public Property FIPSMode As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

This property is reserved for future use.

Opened Property (PGPKeyring Component)

Indicates if the keyring is in an opened state.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public bool Opened { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property Opened As Boolean

Default Value

False

Remarks

If the keyring is open, it means that you can access, add, or removes keys from it.

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

PinnedKey Property (PGPKeyring Component)

A PGP key that is being manipulated on.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKey PinnedKey { get; set; }

Public Property PinnedKey As PGPKey

Remarks

Use this property to specify a key to perform operations on, such as adding.

This property is not available at design time.

PublicKeys Property (PGPKeyring Component)

Public keys available in the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKeyList PublicKeys { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property PublicKeys As PGPKeyList

Remarks

This property populates a collection of all public keys contained in the keyring.

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

SecretKeys Property (PGPKeyring Component)

Secret keys available in the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKeyList SecretKeys { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property SecretKeys As PGPKeyList

Remarks

This property populates a collection of all secret keys contained in the keyring.

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

SelectedPublicKeys Property (PGPKeyring Component)

The public keys matching the selection criteria.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKeyList SelectedPublicKeys { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property SelectedPublicKeys As PGPKeyList

Remarks

This property contains all the public keys that match the selection filter passed to Select method.

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

SelectedSecretKeys Property (PGPKeyring Component)

The secret keys matching the selection criteria.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKeyList SelectedSecretKeys { get; }

Public ReadOnly Property SelectedSecretKeys As PGPKeyList

Remarks

This property contains all the secret keys that match the selection filter passed to Select method.

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

AddFromBytes Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Adds an existing key to the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void AddFromBytes(byte[] bytes);

Public Sub AddFromBytes(ByVal Bytes As Byte())

Remarks

Use this method to add a key stored in a byte array to the keyring.

AddFromFile Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Adds an existing key to the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void AddFromFile(string filename);

Public Sub AddFromFile(ByVal Filename As String)

Remarks

Use this method to add a key stored in a file to the keyring.

AddFromFiles Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Adds a collection of keys to the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void AddFromFiles(string publicKeyringFile, string secretKeyringFile);

Public Sub AddFromFiles(ByVal PublicKeyringFile As String, ByVal SecretKeyringFile As String)

Remarks

Use this method to add keys stored in two separate keyring files to the keyring.

AddFromStream Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Adds a key to the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void AddFromStream(System.IO.Stream stream);

Public Sub AddFromStream(ByVal Stream As System.IO.Stream)

Remarks

Use this method to add a key contained in Stream to the keyring.

AddFromStreams Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Adds a collection of keys to the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void AddFromStreams(System.IO.Stream publicKeyringStream, System.IO.Stream secretKeyringStream);

Public Sub AddFromStreams(ByVal PublicKeyringStream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal SecretKeyringStream As System.IO.Stream)

Remarks

Use this method to add keys stored in two separate keyring streams to the keyring.

AddPinned Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Adds a pinned secret key to the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void AddPinned();

Public Sub AddPinned()

Remarks

Use this method to add a key provided via PinnedKey to the keyring. This can be a public or secret key.

Clear Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Removes all the keys from the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Clear();

Public Sub Clear()

Remarks

Use this method to remove all the items from the keyring.

Close Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Closes the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Close();

Public Sub Close()

Remarks

Use this method to close the keyring and release any associated memory resources.

Config Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string Config(string configurationString);

Public Function Config(ByVal ConfigurationString As String) As String

Remarks

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

These settings are similar in functionality to properties, but they are rarely used. In order to avoid "polluting" the property namespace of the component, 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.

CreateNew Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Creates a new empty keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void CreateNew();

Public Sub CreateNew()

Remarks

Use this method to initialize a new empty keyring.

DoAction Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Performs an additional action.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public string DoAction(string actionID, string actionParams);

Public Function DoAction(ByVal ActionID As String, ByVal ActionParams As String) As String

Remarks

DoAction is a generic method available in every component. It is used to perform an additional action introduced after the product major release. The list of actions is not fixed, and may be flexibly extended over time.

The unique identifier (case insensitive) of the action is provided in the ActionID parameter.

ActionParams contains the value of a single parameter, or a list of multiple parameters for the action in the form of PARAM1=VALUE1;PARAM2=VALUE2;....

Load Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Loads a keyring from disk.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Load(string publicKeyringFile, string secretKeyringFile);

Public Sub Load(ByVal PublicKeyringFile As String, ByVal SecretKeyringFile As String)

Remarks

Use this method to load a keyring (usually stored in two files) to the keyring object. If you only have it in one file, pass an empty string as the second parameter.

LoadFromBytes Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Loads a keyring from two byte arrays.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void LoadFromBytes(byte[] publicKeyring, byte[] secretKeyring);

Public Sub LoadFromBytes(ByVal PublicKeyring As Byte(), ByVal SecretKeyring As Byte())

Remarks

Use this method to load a keyring from two byte arrays. Keyring are typically stored in the form of two files (public and secret), but if you only have one file, pass an empty array as the second parameter.

LoadFromStreams Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Loads a keyring from two streams.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void LoadFromStreams(System.IO.Stream publicKeyringStream, System.IO.Stream secretKeyringStream);

Public Sub LoadFromStreams(ByVal PublicKeyringStream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal SecretKeyringStream As System.IO.Stream)

Remarks

Use this method to load a keyring (usually stored in two objects, public and secret) to the keyring object. If you only one keyring object/file, pass null as the second parameter.

RemoveByID Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Removes key by its ID.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RemoveByID(string keyID);

Public Sub RemoveByID(ByVal KeyID As String)

Remarks

Call this method to remove the specified key from the keyring.

RemovePublic Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Removes the specified public key from the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RemovePublic(int index);

Public Sub RemovePublic(ByVal Index As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to remove a public key from the keyring. Use Index to pass the index of the key to be removed.

RemoveSecret Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Removes the specified secret key from the keyring.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void RemoveSecret(int index);

Public Sub RemoveSecret(ByVal Index As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to remove a secret key from the keyring. Use Index to pass the index of the key to be removed.

Save Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Saves the keyring to disk.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Save(string publicKeyringFile, string secretKeyringFile);

Public Sub Save(ByVal PublicKeyringFile As String, ByVal SecretKeyringFile As String)

Remarks

Use this method to save the keyring to disk. PGP software typically uses two files to store keyrings, public and private.

SaveToBytes Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Saves the keyring to a byte array.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public byte[] SaveToBytes(bool secret);

Public Function SaveToBytes(ByVal Secret As Boolean) As Byte()

Remarks

Use this method to save the keyring to a byte array. PGP software typically uses two files to store keyrings. Use Secret parameter to specify which part of the keyring you would like to save (public or secret).

SaveToStreams Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Saves the keyring to streams.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void SaveToStreams(System.IO.Stream publicKeyringStream, System.IO.Stream secretKeyringStream);

Public Sub SaveToStreams(ByVal PublicKeyringStream As System.IO.Stream, ByVal SecretKeyringStream As System.IO.Stream)

Remarks

Use this method to save the keyring to streams. PGP software typically uses two files to store keyrings, public and private.

Select Method (PGPKeyring Component)

Filters a selection of keys from the keyring using a template.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public void Select(string filter, bool secretOnly, int maxCount);

Public Sub Select(ByVal Filter As String, ByVal SecretOnly As Boolean, ByVal MaxCount As Integer)

Remarks

Use this method to get a list of keys that satisfy the Filter criteria. The filter should follow the "Name=Value" format, where Name can be one of the following: userid, fp, fingerprint, and keyid.

Set SecretOnly to True to only search for secret keys. MaxCount allows to limit the number of keys returned.

Once the method completes, the keys that match the criteria will be available in SelectedPublicKeys and SelectedSecretKeys properties.

Error Event (PGPKeyring Component)

Information about errors during PGP key management.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnErrorHandler OnError;

public delegate void OnErrorHandler(object sender, PgpkeyringErrorEventArgs e);

public class PgpkeyringErrorEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public int ErrorCode { get; }
  public string Description { get; }
}

Public Event OnError As OnErrorHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnErrorHandler(sender As Object, e As PgpkeyringErrorEventArgs)

Public Class PgpkeyringErrorEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property ErrorCode As Integer
  Public ReadOnly Property Description As String
End Class

Remarks

The event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during key management.

ErrorCode contains an error code and Description contains a textual description of the error.

Notification Event (PGPKeyring Component)

This event notifies the application about an underlying control flow event.

Syntax

• C#
• VB.NET

public event OnNotificationHandler OnNotification;

public delegate void OnNotificationHandler(object sender, PgpkeyringNotificationEventArgs e);

public class PgpkeyringNotificationEventArgs : EventArgs {
  public string EventID { get; }
  public string EventParam { get; }
}

Public Event OnNotification As OnNotificationHandler

Public Delegate Sub OnNotificationHandler(sender As Object, e As PgpkeyringNotificationEventArgs)

Public Class PgpkeyringNotificationEventArgs Inherits EventArgs
  Public ReadOnly Property EventID As String
  Public ReadOnly Property EventParam As String
End Class

Remarks

The component fires this event to let the application know about some event, occurrence, or milestone in the component. For example, it may fire to report completion of the document processing. The list of events being reported is not fixed, and may be flexibly extended over time.

The unique identifier of the event is provided in the EventID parameter. EventParam contains any parameters accompanying the occurrence. Depending on the type of the component, the exact action it is performing, or the document being processed, one or both may be omitted.

PGPKey Type

This container represents a PGP key.

Remarks

OpenPGP standard supports several types of keys. In our days, a typical OpenPGP keypair actually consists of two cryptographic keys: a primary key and a subkey. The primary key is normally used for signing, while the subkey is used for encryption.

While it is typical for PGP environments to use a primary key/subkey bundle, this is not a must. Sometimes you may come across standalone keys (mainly when dealing with older implementations), as well as whole key trees, each of those carrying a bunch of differently-purposed subkeys bound to the same primary key.

Algorithm-wise, OpenPGP keys also differ. Generally speaking, OpenPGP supports the following public key algorithms: RSA, Elgamal (often incorrectly referred to as DH), DSA, ECDH and ECDSA. When it comes to primary key/subkey bundles, DSA/Elgamal, RSA/RSA and ECDSA/ECDH pairs are typically used. Although there's no restriction on algorithm bundles, and, e.g. a ECDSA/Elgamal key bundle is perfectly possible, such combination is rarely used in practice.

A typical OpenPGP key is associated with some kind of user ID (Username). It is normally represented with a user's e-mail address, while in theory can be any piece of text. The secret part of the OpenPGP keypair is protected with a password (Passphrase).

Fields

Constructors

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKey();

Public PGPKey()

Creates an empty PGP key object.

• C#
• VB.NET

public PGPKey(string filename);

Public PGPKey(ByVal Filename As String)

Create a PGP key object from a key file.

Config Settings (PGPKeyring Component)

PGPKeyring Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (PGPKeyring Component)

PGPKeyring Errors