ASiCSigner Component

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The ASiCSigner component creates signature containers.

Syntax

TsbxASiCSigner

Remarks

ASiCSigner provides functionality for creating Associated Signature Containers. ASiC containers are used to bind together signed objects and electronic signatures or timestamps.

ASiCSigner supports both ASiC-S (simple) and ASiC-E (extended) signature profiles, as well as the three types of signatures (CAdES, XAdES, and timestamps).

Property List

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

AutoValidateSignatures Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Specifies whether ASiCSigner should validate any present signatures when the document is opened.

Syntax

property AutoValidateSignatures: Boolean read get_AutoValidateSignatures write set_AutoValidateSignatures;

Default Value

false

Remarks

This setting is switched off by default to speed up document processing. Even if the document is loaded with this property set to false, you can validate the signatures manually on a later stage using the Revalidate method.

BlockedCertificates Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The certificates that must be rejected as trust anchors.

Syntax

property BlockedCertificates: TsbxCertificateList read get_BlockedCertificates write set_BlockedCertificates;

Remarks

Use this property to provide a list of compromised or blocked certificates. Any chain containing a blocked certificate will fail validation.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

Certificates Property (ASiCSigner Component)

A collection of certificates included in the electronic signature.

Syntax

property Certificates: TsbxCertificateList read get_Certificates;

Remarks

Use this property to access all certificates included into the signature(s) by its creator.

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

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

CRLs Property (ASiCSigner Component)

A collection of certificate revocation lists embedded into the signature by the signer.

Syntax

property CRLs: TsbxCRLList read get_CRLs;

Remarks

Use this property to access the CRLs embedded into the signature by the signer.

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

Please refer to the CRL type for a complete list of fields.

Extended Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Specifies the type of ASiC signature.

Syntax

property Extended: Boolean read get_Extended write set_Extended;

Default Value

false

Remarks

A simple signature container (ASiC-S) can only be made over a single document, and use one signature format (a CAdES signature, a XAdES signature, or a timestamp)

An extended container (ASiC-E) can cover multiple documents and contain multiple signatures of different types. Set this property to true to create an extended ASiC container.

ExternalCrypto Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Provides access to external signing and DC parameters.

Syntax

property ExternalCrypto: TsbxExternalCrypto read get_ExternalCrypto;

Remarks

Use this property to tune-up remote cryptography settings. SecureBlackbox supports two independent types of external cryptography: synchronous (based on the ExternalSign event) and asynchronous (based on the DC protocol and the DCAuth signing component).

This property is read-only.

Please refer to the ExternalCrypto type for a complete list of fields.

Files Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Lists all files contained in the container.

Syntax

property Files: TsbxArchivedFileList read get_Files;

Remarks

Use this collection property to walk through the list of files contained in the archive.

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

Please refer to the ArchivedFile type for a complete list of fields.

FIPSMode Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Reserved.

Syntax

property FIPSMode: Boolean read get_FIPSMode write set_FIPSMode;

Default Value

false

Remarks

This property is reserved for future use.

IgnoreChainValidationErrors Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Makes the component tolerant to chain validation errors.

Syntax

property IgnoreChainValidationErrors: Boolean read get_IgnoreChainValidationErrors write set_IgnoreChainValidationErrors;

Default Value

false

Remarks

If this property is set to True, any errors emerging during certificate chain validation will be ignored. This setting may be handy if the purpose of validation is the creation of an LTV signature, and the validation is performed in an environment that doesn't trust the signer's certificate chain.

InputBytes Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this property to pass the input to component in byte array form.

Syntax

property InputBytes: TBytes read get_InputBytes write set_InputBytes;

Remarks

Assign a byte array containing the data to be processed to this property.

This property is not available at design time.

InputFile Property (ASiCSigner Component)

A path to the ASiC container to process.

Syntax

property InputFile: String read get_InputFile write set_InputFile;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Use this property to provide a path to the ASiC container. Use InputStream to provide the container from memory rather than a disk file.

KnownCertificates Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Additional certificates for chain validation.

Syntax

property KnownCertificates: TsbxCertificateList read get_KnownCertificates write set_KnownCertificates;

Remarks

Use this property to supply a list of additional certificates that might be needed for chain validation. An example of a scenario where you might want to do that is when intermediary CA certificates are absent from the standard system locations (or when there are no standard system locations), and therefore should be supplied to the component manually.

The purpose of the certificates to be added to this collection is roughly equivalent to that of the Intermediate Certification Authorities system store in Windows.

Do not add trust anchors or root certificates to this collection: add them to TrustedCertificates instead.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

KnownCRLs Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Additional CRLs for chain validation.

Syntax

property KnownCRLs: TsbxCRLList read get_KnownCRLs write set_KnownCRLs;

Remarks

Use this property to supply additional CRLs that might be needed for chain validation. This property may be helpful when a chain is validated in offline mode, and the associated CRLs are stored separately from the signed message or document.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the CRL type for a complete list of fields.

KnownOCSPs Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Additional OCSP responses for chain validation.

Syntax

property KnownOCSPs: TsbxOCSPResponseList read get_KnownOCSPs write set_KnownOCSPs;

Remarks

Use this property to supply additional OCSP responses that might be needed for chain validation. This property may be helpful when a chain is validated in offline mode, and the associated OCSP responses are stored separately from the signed message or document.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the OCSPResponse type for a complete list of fields.

NewSignature Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Provides access to new signature properties.

Syntax

property NewSignature: TsbxASiCSignature read get_NewSignature;

Remarks

Use this property to tune-up signature properties.

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

Please refer to the ASiCSignature type for a complete list of fields.

OCSPs Property (ASiCSigner Component)

A collection of OCSP responses embedded into the signature.

Syntax

property OCSPs: TsbxOCSPResponseList read get_OCSPs;

Remarks

Use this property to access the OCSP responses embedded into the signature by its creator.

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

Please refer to the OCSPResponse type for a complete list of fields.

OfflineMode Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Switches the component to offline mode.

Syntax

property OfflineMode: Boolean read get_OfflineMode write set_OfflineMode;

Default Value

false

Remarks

When working in offline mode, the component restricts itself from using any online revocation information sources, such as CRL or OCSP responders.

Offline mode may be useful if there is a need to verify the completeness of the validation information included within the signature or provided via KnownCertificates, KnownCRLs, and other related properties.

OutputBytes Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this property to read the output the component object has produced.

Syntax

property OutputBytes: TBytes read get_OutputBytes;

Remarks

Read the contents of this property after the operation has completed to read the produced output. This property will only be set if the OutputFile and OutputStream properties had not been assigned.

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

OutputFile Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The file where the signed data will be saved.

Syntax

property OutputFile: String read get_OutputFile write set_OutputFile;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Provides a path to the file where the component should store the container.

ASiC is essentially a ZIP archive, but it is recommended to use ".asics" or ".scs" extension for ASiC-S files, and ".asice" or ".sce" for ASiC-E files.

OutputPath Property (ASiCSigner Component)

A local path to extract the files to.

Syntax

property OutputPath: String read get_OutputPath write set_OutputPath;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Assign this property with a path where the extracted files (selected according to ExtractionMode criteria) are to be saved.

Profile Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Specifies a pre-defined profile to apply when creating the signature.

Syntax

property Profile: String read get_Profile write set_Profile;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Advanced signatures come in many variants, which are often defined by parties that needs to process them or by local standards. SecureBlackbox profiles are sets of pre-defined configurations which correspond to particular signature variants. By specifying a profile, you are pre-configuring the component to make it produce the signature that matches the configuration corresponding to that profile.

Proxy Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The proxy server settings.

Syntax

property Proxy: TsbxProxySettings read get_Proxy;

Remarks

Use this property to tune up the proxy server settings.

This property is read-only.

Please refer to the ProxySettings type for a complete list of fields.

RevocationCheck Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Specifies the kind(s) of revocation check to perform for all chain certificates.

Syntax

property RevocationCheck: TsbxRevocationCheckKinds read get_RevocationCheck write set_RevocationCheck;

TsbxRevocationCheckKinds = (
  crcNone,
  crcAuto,
  crcAllCRL,
  crcAllOCSP,
  crcAllCRLAndOCSP,
  crcAnyCRL,
  crcAnyOCSP,
  crcAnyCRLOrOCSP,
  crcAnyOCSPOrCRL
);

Default Value

crcAuto

Remarks

Revocation checking is necessary to ensure the integrity of the chain and obtain up-to-date certificate validity and trustworthiness information.

Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) and Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) responses serve the same purpose of ensuring that the certificate had not been revoked by the Certificate Authority (CA) at the time of use. Depending on your circumstances and security policy requirements, you may want to use either one or both of the revocation information source types.

This setting controls the way the revocation checks are performed for every certificate in the chain. Typically certificates come with two types of revocation information sources: CRL (certificate revocation lists) and OCSP responders. CRLs are static objects periodically published by the CA at some online location. OCSP responders are active online services maintained by the CA that can provide up-to-date information on certificate statuses in near real time.

There are some conceptual differences between the two. CRLs are normally larger in size. Their use involves some latency because there is normally some delay between the time when a certificate was revoked and the time the subsequent CRL mentioning that is published. The benefits of CRL is that the same object can provide statuses for all certificates issued by a particular CA, and that the whole technology is much simpler than OCSP (and thus is supported by more CAs).

This setting lets you adjust the validation course by including or excluding certain types of revocation sources from the validation process. The crcAnyOCSPOrCRL setting (give preference to the faster OCSP route and only demand one source to succeed) is a good choice for most typical validation environments. The 'crcAll*' modes are much stricter, and may be used in scenarios where bulletproof validity information is essential.

Note: If no CRL or OCSP endpoints are provided by the CA, the revocation check will be considered successful. This is because the CA chose not to supply revocation information for its certificates, meaning they are considered irrevocable.

Note: Within each of the above settings, if any retrieved CRL or OCSP response indicates that the certificate has been revoked, the revocation check fails.

Signatures Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Contains the list of signatures included in the ASiC container.

Syntax

property Signatures: TsbxASiCSignatureList read get_Signatures;

Remarks

Use this property to access all signatures in the container.

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

Please refer to the ASiCSignature type for a complete list of fields.

SigningCertificate Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The certificate to be used for signing.

Syntax

property SigningCertificate: TsbxCertificate read get_SigningCertificate write set_SigningCertificate;

Remarks

Use this property to specify the certificate that shall be used for signing the data. Note that this certificate should have a private key associated with it. Use SigningChain to supply the rest of the certificate chain for inclusion into the signature.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

SigningChain Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The signing certificate chain.

Syntax

property SigningChain: TsbxCertificateList read get_SigningChain write set_SigningChain;

Remarks

Use this property to provide the chain for the signing certificate. Use the SigningCertificate property, if it is available, to provide the signing certificate itself.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

SocketSettings Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Manages network connection settings.

Syntax

property SocketSettings: TsbxSocketSettings read get_SocketSettings;

Remarks

Use this property to tune up network connection parameters.

This property is read-only.

Please refer to the SocketSettings type for a complete list of fields.

SourceBytes Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this property to pass the content to sign in the byte array form.

Syntax

property SourceBytes: TBytes read get_SourceBytes write set_SourceBytes;

Remarks

Assign a byte array containing the source file to be signed to this property.

This property is not available at design time.

SourceFiles Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The files to be packed into the container.

Syntax

property SourceFiles: String read get_SourceFiles write set_SourceFiles;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Assign this property with a CRLF-separated list of paths to the files to be included in the container. Remember to enable the extended ASiC mode (set Extended to true) if signing more than one file.

SourceName Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this property to specify the name of the file being signed if passing it via the SourceBytes property.

Syntax

property SourceName: String read get_SourceName write set_SourceName;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Provide the name of the file to be included in the ASiC container if passing the file in the byte array form.

This property is not available at design time.

Timestamps Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Contains a collection of timestamps for the processed document.

Syntax

property Timestamps: TsbxTimestampInfoList read get_Timestamps;

Remarks

Use this property to access the timestamps included in the processed document.

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

Please refer to the TimestampInfo type for a complete list of fields.

TimestampServer Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The address of the timestamping server.

Syntax

property TimestampServer: String read get_TimestampServer write set_TimestampServer;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Use this property to provide the address of the Time Stamping Authority (TSA) server to be used for timestamping the signature.

SecureBlackbox supports RFC3161-compliant timestamping servers, available via HTTP or HTTPS.

If your timestamping service enforces credential-based user authentication (basic or digest), you can provide the credentials in the same URL:

http://user:password@timestamp.server.com/TsaService

For TSAs using certificate-based TLS authentication, provide the client certificate via the TLSClientChain property.

If this property is left empty, no timestamp will be added to the signature.

Starting from summer 2021 update (Vol. 2), the virtual timestamping service is supported, which allows you to intervene in the timestamping routine and provide your own handling for the TSA exchange. This may be handy if the service that you are requesting timestamps from uses a non-standard TSP protocol or requires special authentication option.

To employ the virtual service, assign an URI of the following format to this property:

virtual://localhost?hashonly=true&includecerts=true&reqpolicy=1.2.3.4.5&halg=SHA256

Subscribe to Notification event to get notified about the virtualized timestamping event. The EventID of the timestamping event is TimestampRequest. Inside the event handler, read the base16-encoded request from the EventParam parameter and forward it to the timestamping authority. Upon receiving the response, pass it back to the component, encoded in base16, via the TimestampResponse config property:

component.Config("TimestampResponse=308208ab...");

Note that all the exchange with your custom TSA should take place within the same invocation of the Notification event.

The hashonly parameter of the virtual URI tells the component to only return the timestamp message imprint via the EventParam parameter. If set to false, EventParam will contain the complete RFC3161 timestamping request.

The includecerts parameter specifies that the requestCertificates parameter of the timestamping request should be set to true.

The reqpolicy parameter lets you specify the request policy, and the halg parameter specifies the hash algorithm to use for timestamping.

All the parameters are optional.

TLSClientChain Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The TLS client certificate chain.

Syntax

property TLSClientChain: TsbxCertificateList read get_TLSClientChain write set_TLSClientChain;

Remarks

Assign a certificate chain to this property to enable TLS client authentication in the component. Note that the client's end-entity certificate should have a private key associated with it.

Use the CertificateStorage or CertificateManager components to import the certificate from a file, system store, or PKCS11 device.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

TLSServerChain Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The TLS server's certificate chain.

Syntax

property TLSServerChain: TsbxCertificateList read get_TLSServerChain;

Remarks

Use this property to access the certificate chain sent by the TLS server. This property is ready to read when the TLSCertValidate event is fired by the client component.

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

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

TLSSettings Property (ASiCSigner Component)

Manages TLS layer settings.

Syntax

property TLSSettings: TsbxTLSSettings read get_TLSSettings;

Remarks

Use this property to tune up the TLS layer parameters.

This property is read-only.

Please refer to the TLSSettings type for a complete list of fields.

TrustedCertificates Property (ASiCSigner Component)

A list of trusted certificates for chain validation.

Syntax

property TrustedCertificates: TsbxCertificateList read get_TrustedCertificates write set_TrustedCertificates;

Remarks

Use this property to supply a list of trusted certificates that might be needed for chain validation. An example of a scenario where you might want to do that is when root CA certificates are absent from the standard system locations (or when there are no standard system locations), and therefore should be supplied to the component manually.

The purpose of this certificate collection is largely the same as that of the Windows Trusted Root Certification Authorities system store.

Use this property with extreme care as it directly affects chain verifiability; a wrong certificate added to the trusted list may result in bad chains being accepted, and forfeited signatures being recognized as genuine. Only add certificates that originate from the parties that you know and trust.

This property is not available at design time.

Please refer to the Certificate type for a complete list of fields.

ValidationMoment Property (ASiCSigner Component)

The time point at which signature validity is to be established.

Syntax

property ValidationMoment: String read get_ValidationMoment write set_ValidationMoment;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Use this property to specify the moment in time at which signature validity should be established. The time is in UTC. Leave the setting empty to stick to the default moment (either the signature creation time or the current time).

The validity of the same signature may differ depending on the time point chosen due to temporal changes in chain validities, revocation statuses, and timestamp times.

AddFile Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this method to add a file to the archive.

Syntax

procedure AddFile();

Remarks

This method allows you to add multiple files to the archive.

There are several ways in which you can provide files to ASiCSigner:

• Assign a file list to SourceFiles property.
• Assign the file name to SourceName, and the file body to SourceBytes or SourceStream.

All files assigned to the above properties will be added to the archive automatically: you don't need to call AddFile to add them.

If, however, you need to add more than one in-memory file, or add more than one bunch of files using SourceFiles, AddFile may be of good use. Effectively, it saves the file data provided through the above properties in ASiCSigner, releasing these properties for the next file(s). For example: signer.SourceName = "file1.txt"; signer.SourceBytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("Human progress is not measured by industry."); signer.AddFile(); // this saves the above data in the component, allowing you to add the next file signer.SourceName = "file2.txt"; signer.SourceBytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("It is measured by the value you place on a life."); signer.AddFile(); // this adds the second file signer.SourceName = "file3.txt"; signer.SourceBytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("An unimportant life. A life without privilege."); // You don't need to AddFile() the final file: this will be picked by ASiCSigner from the properties automatically

AddTimestampValidationData Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this method to add timestamp validation data to the signature.

Syntax

procedure AddTimestampValidationData(SigIndex: Integer);

Remarks

Call this method to add certificates and revocation information used to validate timestamp's signer certificates at a particular time. This method could be called separately or in SignatureValidated event handler after successful signature validation.

AddValidationDataRefs Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this method to add signature validation references to the signature.

Syntax

procedure AddValidationDataRefs(SigIndex: Integer);

Remarks

Call this method to add references to certificates and revocation information used to validate a signature at a particular time. This method could be called separately or in SignatureValidated event handler after successful signature validation.

AddValidationDataValues Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this method to add signature validation values to the signature.

Syntax

procedure AddValidationDataValues(SigIndex: Integer);

Remarks

Call this method to add certificates and revocation information used to validate a signature at a particular time. This method could be called separately or in SignatureValidated event handler after successful signature validation.

Close Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Closes an opened container.

Syntax

procedure Close(SaveChanges: Boolean);

Remarks

Use this method to close a previously opened container. Set SaveChanges to true to apply any changes made.

Config Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

function Config(ConfigurationString: String): 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 (ASiCSigner Component)

Creates a new ASiC container.

Syntax

procedure CreateNew();

Remarks

Use this method to create a new container file.

The container will be kept in memory until written down with Close method.

DoAction Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Performs an additional action.

Syntax

function DoAction(ActionID: String; ActionParams: String): 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;....

ExtractAsyncData Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Extracts user data from the DC signing service response.

Syntax

function ExtractAsyncData(AsyncReply: String): String;

Remarks

Call this method before finalizing the asynchronous signing process to extract the data passed to the ExternalCrypto.Data property on the pre-signing stage.

The Data parameter can be used to pass some state or document identifier along with the signing request from the pre-signing to the completion async stage.

ExtractFile Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Extracts a file to one of the output media (bytes, stream, or disk file).

Syntax

procedure ExtractFile(Filename: String);

Remarks

Use this method to extract a single archived

ExtractFiles Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Extracts files covered by a signature to OutputPath .

Syntax

procedure ExtractFiles(SigIndex: Integer);

Remarks

Use this method to extract all files covered by the signature SigIndex to OutputPath. Set SigIndex to -1 to extract all the files included in the container.

Open Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Opens an existing container for signing or updating.

Syntax

procedure Open();

Remarks

Use this method to open a container for signing or updating. When finished, call Close to complete or discard the operation.

Revalidate Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Revalidates a signature in accordance with current settings.

Syntax

procedure Revalidate(Index: Integer);

Remarks

Use this method to re-validate a signature in the opened ASiC document.

Sign Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Signs the chosen files and packs them into an ASiC archive.

Syntax

procedure Sign();

Remarks

Use this method to create a new ASiC signature container in accordance with the component setup.

SignAsyncBegin Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Initiates the asynchronous signing operation.

Syntax

function SignAsyncBegin(): String;

Remarks

When using the DC framework, call this method to initiate the asynchronous signing process. Upon completion, a pre-signed copy of the document will be saved in OutputFile (or OutputStream). Keep the pre-signed copy somewhere local, and pass the returned string ('the request state') to the DC processor for handling.

Upon receiving the response state from the DC processor, assign the path to the pre-signed copy to InputFile (or InputStream), and call SignAsyncEnd to finalize the signing.

Note that depending on the signing method and DC configuration used, you may still need to provide the public part of the signing certificate via the SigningCertificate property.

Use the ExternalCrypto.AsyncDocumentID property to supply a unique document ID to include in the request. This is helpful when creating batches of multiple async requests, as it allows you to pass the whole response batch to SignAsyncEnd and expect it to recover the correct response from the batch automatically.

AsyncState is a message of the distributed cryptography (DC) protocol. The DC protocol is based on the exchange of async states between a DC client (an application that wants to sign a PDF, XML, or Office document) and a DC server (an application that controls access to the private key). An async state can carry one or more signing requests, comprised of document hashes, or one or more signatures produced over those hashes.

In a typical scenario you get a client-side async state from the SignAsyncBegin method. This state contains document hashes to be signed on the DC server side. You then send the async state to the DC server (often represented by the DCAuth component), which processes it and produces a matching signature state. The async state produced by the server is then passed to the SignAsyncEnd method.

SignAsyncEnd Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Completes the asynchronous signing operation.

Syntax

procedure SignAsyncEnd(AsyncReply: String);

Remarks

When using the DC framework, call this method upon receiving the response state from the DC processor to complete the asynchronous signing process.

Before calling this method, assign the path to the pre-signed copy of the document obtained from the prior SignAsyncBegin call to InputFile (or InputStream). The method will embed the signature into the pre-signed document, and save the complete signed document to OutputFile (or OutputStream).

Note that depending on the signing method and DC configuration used, you may still need to provide the public part of the signing certificate via the SigningCertificate property.

Use the ExternalCrypto.AsyncDocumentID parameter to pass a specific document ID if using batched AsyncReply. If used, it should match the value provided on the pre-signing (SignAsyncBegin) stage.

AsyncState is a message of the distributed cryptography (DC) protocol. The DC protocol is based on the exchange of async states between a DC client (an application that wants to sign a PDF, XML, or Office document) and a DC server (an application that controls access to the private key). An async state can carry one or more signing requests, comprised of document hashes, or one or more signatures produced over those hashes.

In a typical scenario you get a client-side async state from the SignAsyncBegin method. This state contains document hashes to be signed on the DC server side. You then send the async state to the DC server (often represented by the DCAuth component), which processes it and produces a matching signature state. The async state produced by the server is then passed to the SignAsyncEnd method.

SignExternal Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Signs the document using an external signing facility.

Syntax

procedure SignExternal();

Remarks

Use this method to create an ASiC signature using an external signing facility for the cryptographic computations. SignExternal delegates the low-level signing operation to an external, remote, or custom signing engine. This method is useful if the signature has to be made by a device accessible through a custom or non-standard signing interface.

When all preparations are done and hash is computed, the component fires ExternalSign event which allows to pass the hash value for signing.

Timestamp Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Use this method to add timestamp.

Syntax

procedure Timestamp(SigIndex: Integer; TimestampType: Integer);

Remarks

Call this method to timestamp the signature. Use the TimestampServer property to provide the address of the TSA (Time Stamping Authority) server which should be used for timestamping. Use the TimestampType parameter to specify the type of timestamp to create Available options:

Upgrade Method (ASiCSigner Component)

Upgrades existing CAdES or XAdES signature to a new level.

Syntax

procedure Upgrade(SigIndex: Integer; ToLevel: Integer);

Remarks

CAdES and XAdES standard defines a number of different 'levels' or 'forms' of signatures which can be used for different purposes. Use this method to upgrade CAdES or XAdES signature to a new level specified by ToLevel. Signatures can normally be upgraded from less sophisticated levels (BES, EPES) to more sophisticated (T, XL, A).

The supported levels are:

ChainElementDownload Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Fires when there is a need to download a chain element from an online source.

Syntax

type TChainElementDownloadEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Kind: Integer;
  const CertRDN: String;
  const CACertRDN: String;
  const Location: String;
  var Action: Integer
) of Object;

property OnChainElementDownload: TChainElementDownloadEvent read FOnChainElementDownload write FOnChainElementDownload;

Remarks

Subscribe to this event to be notified about validation element retrievals. Use the Action parameter to suppress the download if required.

ChainElementNeeded Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Fires when an element required to validate the chain was not located.

Syntax

type TChainElementNeededEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Kind: Integer;
  const CertRDN: String;
  const CACertRDN: String
) of Object;

property OnChainElementNeeded: TChainElementNeededEvent read FOnChainElementNeeded write FOnChainElementNeeded;

Remarks

Subscribe to this event to be notified about missing validation elements. Use the KnownCRLs, KnownCertificates, and KnownOCSPs properties in the event handler to provide the missing piece.

ChainElementStore Event (ASiCSigner Component)

This event is fired when a chain element (certificate, CRL, or OCSP response) should be stored along with a signature.

Syntax

type TChainElementStoreEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Kind: Integer;
  Body: TBytes;
  var URI: String
) of Object;

property OnChainElementStore: TChainElementStoreEvent read FOnChainElementStore write FOnChainElementStore;

Remarks

This event could occur if you are verifying XAdES-C form or higher. The Body parameter contains the element in binary form that should be stored along with a signature. Use the URI parameter to provide an URI of the stored element.

ChainValidated Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Reports the completion of a certificate chain validation.

Syntax

type TChainValidatedEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Index: Integer;
  const SubjectRDN: String;
  ValidationResult: Integer;
  ValidationDetails: Integer
) of Object;

property OnChainValidated: TChainValidatedEvent read FOnChainValidated write FOnChainValidated;

Remarks

This event is fired when a certificate chain validation routine completes. SubjectRDN identifies the owner of the validated certificate.

ValidationResult set to 0 (zero) indicates successful chain validation.

Any other value reports a failure, and ValidationDetails provides more details on its reasons.

ChainValidationProgress Event (ASiCSigner Component)

This event is fired multiple times during chain validation to report various stages of the validation procedure.

Syntax

type TChainValidationProgressEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const EventKind: String;
  const CertRDN: String;
  const CACertRDN: String;
  var Action: Integer
) of Object;

property OnChainValidationProgress: TChainValidationProgressEvent read FOnChainValidationProgress write FOnChainValidationProgress;

Remarks

Subscribe to this event to be notified about chain validation progress. Use the Action parameter to alter the validation flow.

The EventKind parameter reports the nature of the event being reported. The CertRDN and CACertRDN parameters report the distinguished names of the certificates that are relevant for the event invocation (one or both can be empty, depending on EventKind). Use the Action parameter to adjust the validation flow.

ContainerLoaded Event (ASiCSigner Component)

This event is fired when the container has been loaded into memory.

Syntax

type TContainerLoadedEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  var Cancel: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnContainerLoaded: TContainerLoadedEvent read FOnContainerLoaded write FOnContainerLoaded;

Remarks

The handler for this event is a good place to check for any existing signatures and validate them if required.

Set Cancel to true to terminate document processing on this stage.

Error Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Information about any errors that occur during signing or archiving.

Syntax

type TErrorEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  ErrorCode: Integer;
  const Description: String
) of Object;

property OnError: TErrorEvent read FOnError write FOnError;

Remarks

The event is fired in case of exceptional conditions which occur during signing or archiving of data.

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

ExternalSign Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Handles remote or external signing initiated by the SignExternal method or other source.

Syntax

type TExternalSignEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const OperationId: String;
  const HashAlgorithm: String;
  const Pars: String;
  const Data: String;
  var SignedData: String
) of Object;

property OnExternalSign: TExternalSignEvent read FOnExternalSign write FOnExternalSign;

Remarks

Assign a handler to this event if you need to delegate a low-level signing operation to an external, remote, or custom signing engine. Depending on the settings, the handler will receive a hashed or unhashed value to be signed.

The event handler must pass the value of Data to the signer, obtain the signature, and pass it back to the component via the SignedData parameter.

OperationId provides a comment about the operation and its origin. It depends on the exact component being used, and may be empty. HashAlgorithm specifies the hash algorithm being used for the operation, and Pars contains algorithm-dependent parameters.

The component uses base16 (hex) encoding for the Data, SignedData, and Pars parameters. If your signing engine uses a different input and output encoding, you may need to decode and/or encode the data before and/or after the signing.

A sample MD5 hash encoded in base16: a0dee2a0382afbb09120ffa7ccd8a152 - lower case base16 A0DEE2A0382AFBB09120FFA7CCD8A152 - upper case base16

A sample event handler that uses the .NET RSACryptoServiceProvider class may look like the following: signer.OnExternalSign += (s, e) => { var cert = new X509Certificate2("cert.pfx", "", X509KeyStorageFlags.Exportable); var key = (RSACryptoServiceProvider)cert.PrivateKey; var dataToSign = e.Data.FromBase16String(); var signedData = key.SignHash(dataToSign, "2.16.840.1.101.3.4.2.1"); e.SignedData = signedData.ToBase16String(); };

FileExtractionStart Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Signifies the start of a file extraction process.

Syntax

type TFileExtractionStartEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const FileName: String;
  FileSize: Int64;
  const ModDate: String;
  var Extract: Boolean;
  var DestFile: String
) of Object;

property OnFileExtractionStart: TFileExtractionStartEvent read FOnFileExtractionStart write FOnFileExtractionStart;

Remarks

This event fires for every file located in the archive and matching the ExtractionMode setting before it is to be extracted.

DestFile indicates the path where the file will be saved to. You can alter the destination path here, by providing an alternative extraction path.

Set DestFile to an empty string and provide a stream object via the OutputStream property if you prefer to save the data to a stream instead of file.

If DestFile is set to an empty string and OutputStream is unassigned, the file will not be extracted.

Alternatively, you can request the extracted content to be saved into a byte array. To do this, leave DestFile and OutputStream empty, and keep the Extract parameter enabled.

Please take care when extracting large files into byte arrays, as those may consume large amounts of memory.

Note: if DestFile already exists, the component will overwrite it. To prevent overwriting of existing files, subscribe to this event, and change DestFile when needed.

Notification Event (ASiCSigner Component)

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

Syntax

type TNotificationEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const EventID: String;
  const EventParam: String
) of Object;

property OnNotification: TNotificationEvent read FOnNotification write FOnNotification;

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.

This component can fire this event with the following EventID values:

SignatureFound Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Signifies the start of signature validation.

Syntax

type TSignatureFoundEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Index: Integer;
  const IssuerRDN: String;
  SerialNumber: TBytes;
  SubjectKeyID: TBytes;
  CertFound: Boolean;
  var ValidateSignature: Boolean;
  var ValidateChain: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnSignatureFound: TSignatureFoundEvent read FOnSignatureFound write FOnSignatureFound;

Remarks

This event tells the application that signature validation is about to start, and provides the details about the signer's certificate via its IssuerRDN, SerialNumber, and SubjectKeyID parameters. It fires for every signature located in the verified document or message.

The CertFound parameter is set to True if the component has found the needed certificate in one of the known locations, and to False otherwise, in which case you must provide it manually via the KnownCertificates property.

Signature validation consists of two independent stages: cryptographic signature validation and chain validation. Separate validation results are reported for each, with the SignatureValidationResult and ChainValidationResult properties respectively.

Use the ValidateSignature and ValidateChain parameters to tell the verifier which stages to include in the validation.

SignatureValidated Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Marks the completion of the signature validation routine.

Syntax

type TSignatureValidatedEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Index: Integer;
  const IssuerRDN: String;
  SerialNumber: TBytes;
  SubjectKeyID: TBytes;
  ValidationResult: Integer
) of Object;

property OnSignatureValidated: TSignatureValidatedEvent read FOnSignatureValidated write FOnSignatureValidated;

Remarks

This event is fired upon the completion of the signature validation routine, and reports the respective validation result.

Use the IssuerRDN, SerialNumber, and/or SubjectKeyID parameters to identify the signing certificate.

ValidationResult is set to 0 if the validation has been successful, or to a non-zero value in case of a validation failure.

TimestampFound Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Signifies the start of a timestamp validation routine.

Syntax

type TTimestampFoundEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Index: Integer;
  const IssuerRDN: String;
  SerialNumber: TBytes;
  SubjectKeyID: TBytes;
  CertFound: Boolean;
  var ValidateTimestamp: Boolean;
  var ValidateChain: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnTimestampFound: TTimestampFoundEvent read FOnTimestampFound write FOnTimestampFound;

Remarks

This event fires for every timestamp identified during signature processing, and reports the details about the signer's certificate via its IssuerRDN, SerialNumber, and SubjectKeyID parameters.

The CertFound parameter is set to True if the component has found the needed certificate in one of the known locations, and to False otherwise, in which case you must provide it manually via the KnownCertificates property.

Just like with signature validation, timestamp validation consists of two independent stages: cryptographic signature validation and chain validation. Separate validation results are reported for each, with the ValidationResult and ChainValidationResult properties respectively.

Use the ValidateSignature and ValidateChain parameters to tell the verifier which stages to include in the validation.

TimestampRequest Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Fires when the component is ready to request a timestamp from an external TSA.

Syntax

type TTimestampRequestEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const TSA: String;
  const TimestampRequest: String;
  var TimestampResponse: String;
  var SuppressDefault: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnTimestampRequest: TTimestampRequestEvent read FOnTimestampRequest write FOnTimestampRequest;

Remarks

Subscribe to this event to intercept timestamp requests. You can use it to override timestamping requests and perform them in your code.

The TSA parameter indicates the timestamping service being used. It matches the value passed to the TimestampServer property. Set the SuppressDefault parameter to false if you would like to stop the built-in TSA request from going ahead. The built-in TSA request is also not performed if the returned TimestampResponse parameter is not empty.

TimestampValidated Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Reports the completion of the timestamp validation routine.

Syntax

type TTimestampValidatedEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  Index: Integer;
  const IssuerRDN: String;
  SerialNumber: TBytes;
  SubjectKeyID: TBytes;
  const Time: String;
  ValidationResult: Integer;
  ChainValidationResult: Integer;
  ChainValidationDetails: Integer
) of Object;

property OnTimestampValidated: TTimestampValidatedEvent read FOnTimestampValidated write FOnTimestampValidated;

Remarks

This event is fired upon the completion of the timestamp validation routine, and reports the respective validation result.

ValidationResult is set to 0 if the validation has been successful, or to a non-zero value in case of a failure.

TLSCertNeeded Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Fires when a remote TLS party requests a client certificate.

Syntax

type TTLSCertNeededEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const Host: String;
  const CANames: String
) of Object;

property OnTLSCertNeeded: TTLSCertNeededEvent read FOnTLSCertNeeded write FOnTLSCertNeeded;

Remarks

This event fires to notify the implementation that a remote TLS server has requested a client certificate. The Host parameter identifies the host that makes a request, and the CANames parameter (optional, according to the TLS spec) advises on the accepted issuing CAs.

Use the TLSClientChain property in response to this event to provide the requested certificate. Please make sure the client certificate includes the associated private key. Note that you may set the certificates before the connection without waiting for this event to fire.

This event is preceded by the TLSHandshake event for the given host and, if the certificate was accepted, succeeded by the TLSEstablished event.

TLSCertValidate Event (ASiCSigner Component)

This event is fired upon receipt of the TLS server's certificate, allowing the user to control its acceptance.

Syntax

type TTLSCertValidateEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const ServerHost: String;
  const ServerIP: String;
  var Accept: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnTLSCertValidate: TTLSCertValidateEvent read FOnTLSCertValidate write FOnTLSCertValidate;

Remarks

This event is fired during a TLS handshake. Use the TLSServerChain property to access the certificate chain. In general, components may contact a number of TLS endpoints during their work, depending on their configuration.

Accept is assigned in accordance with the outcome of the internal validation check performed by the component, and can be adjusted if needed.

TLSEstablished Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Fires when a TLS handshake with Host successfully completes.

Syntax

type TTLSEstablishedEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const Host: String;
  const Version: String;
  const Ciphersuite: String;
  ConnectionId: TBytes;
  var Abort: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnTLSEstablished: TTLSEstablishedEvent read FOnTLSEstablished write FOnTLSEstablished;

Remarks

The component uses this event to notify the application about a successful completion of a TLS handshake.

The Version, Ciphersuite, and ConnectionId parameters indicate the security parameters of the new connection. Use the Abort parameter if you need to terminate the connection at this stage.

TLSHandshake Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Fires when a new TLS handshake is initiated, before the handshake commences.

Syntax

type TTLSHandshakeEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const Host: String;
  var Abort: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnTLSHandshake: TTLSHandshakeEvent read FOnTLSHandshake write FOnTLSHandshake;

Remarks

The component uses this event to notify the application about the start of a new TLS handshake to Host. If the handshake is successful, this event will be followed by the TLSEstablished event. If the server chooses to request a client certificate, the TLSCertNeeded event will also be fired.

TLSShutdown Event (ASiCSigner Component)

Reports the graceful closure of a TLS connection.

Syntax

type TTLSShutdownEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  const Host: String
) of Object;

property OnTLSShutdown: TTLSShutdownEvent read FOnTLSShutdown write FOnTLSShutdown;

Remarks

This event notifies the application about the closure of an earlier established TLS connection. Note that only graceful connection closures are reported.

ArchivedFile Type

Provides information about the compressed file.

Remarks

Use this type to access compressed file details.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new ArchivedFile object.

ASiCSignature Type

Represents a signature in the ASiC container.

Remarks

This type contains information about a signature found in ASiC container. It holds various information about the signature, including its coverage and validation results.

An ASiC-S container can include one CAdES, and/or one XAdES, and/or one Timestamp. An ASiC-E container can include multiple CAdES signatures, XAdES signatures, and timestamp tokens.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new empty ASiC signature object.

Certificate Type

Provides details of an individual X.509 certificate.

Remarks

This type provides access to X.509 certificate details.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new object with default field values.

CRL Type

Represents a Certificate Revocation List.

Remarks

CRLs store information about revoked certificates, i.e., certificates that have been identified as invalid by their issuing certificate authority (CA) for any number of reasons.

Each CRL object lists certificates from a single CA and identifies them by their serial numbers. A CA may or may not publish a CRL, may publish several CRLs, or may publish the same CRL in multiple locations.

Unlike OCSP responses, CRLs only list certificates that have been revoked. They do not list certificates that are still valid.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates an empty CRL object.

ExternalCrypto Type

Specifies the parameters of external cryptographic calls.

Remarks

External cryptocalls are used in a Distributed Cryptography (DC) subsystem, which allows the delegation of security operations to the remote agent. For instance, it can be used to compute the signature value on the server, while retaining the client's private key locally.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new ExternalCrypto object with default field values.

OCSPResponse Type

Represents a single OCSP response originating from an OCSP responder.

Remarks

OCSP is a protocol that allows verification of certificate status in real-time, and is an alternative to Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs).

An OCSP response is a snapshot of the certificate status at a given time.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates an empty OCSP response object.

ProxySettings Type

A container for proxy server settings.

Remarks

This type exposes a collection of properties for tuning up the proxy server configuration.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new ProxySettings object.

SocketSettings Type

A container for the socket settings.

Remarks

This type is a container for socket-layer parameters.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new SocketSettings object.

TimestampInfo Type

A container for timestamp information.

Remarks

The TimestampInfo object contains details of a third-party timestamp and the outcome of its validation.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new TimestampInfo object with default field values.

TLSSettings Type

A container for TLS connection settings.

Remarks

The TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol provides security for information exchanged over insecure connections such as TCP/IP.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new TLSSettings object.

Config Settings (ASiCSigner Component)

The component 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 component, access to these internal properties is provided through the Config method.

ASiCSigner Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (ASiCSigner Component)

ASiCSigner Errors

	1048577   Invalid parameter value (SB_ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER)
	1048578   Component is configured incorrectly (SB_ERROR_INVALID_SETUP)
	1048579   Operation cannot be executed in the current state (SB_ERROR_INVALID_STATE)
	1048580   Attempt to set an invalid value to a property (SB_ERROR_INVALID_VALUE)
	1048581   Certificate does not have its private key loaded (SB_ERROR_NO_PRIVATE_KEY)
	1048581   Cancelled by the user (SB_ERROR_CANCELLED_BY_USER) 
	16777217   Unsupported level (SB_ERROR_ASIC_UNSUPPORTED_LEVEL)
	16777218   Unsupported signature form (SB_ERROR_ASIC_UNSUPPORTED_SIGNATURE_FORM)
	16777219   Unsupported signature type (SB_ERROR_ASIC_UNSUPPORTED_SIGNATURE_TYPE)
	16777220   Unsupported extraction mode (SB_ERROR_ASIC_UNSUPPORTED_EXTRACTION_MODE)
	16777221   Input file does not exist (SB_ERROR_ASIC_INPUTFILE_NOT_EXISTS)
	16777222   Output file already exists (SB_ERROR_ASIC_OUTPUTFILE_ALREADY_EXISTS)