SOAPSigner Component

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The SOAPSigner component signs SOAP messages.

Syntax

TsbxSOAPSigner

Remarks

SOAPSigner creates electronic signatures for SOAP messages, and includes advanced security features such as support for timestamps and advanced electronic signatures (XAdES).

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 (SOAPSigner Component)

Specifies whether component 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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.

EmbedCertificateMethod Property (SOAPSigner Component)

Controls the certificate disposition within the signature.

Syntax

property EmbedCertificateMethod: TsbxWSSEmbedCertificateMethods read get_EmbedCertificateMethod write set_EmbedCertificateMethod;

TsbxWSSEmbedCertificateMethods = (
  cwecInSignature,
  cwecInBinarySecurityToken,
  cwecInSignedBinarySecurityToken,
  cwecInBinarySecurityTokenAndSignature,
  cwecNone
);

Default Value

cwecInBinarySecurityToken

Remarks

This property controls the method of embedding the signing certificate(s) into the signature if WS-Security signature type is used.

Supported values:

Encoding Property (SOAPSigner Component)

Specifies XML encoding.

Syntax

property Encoding: String read get_Encoding write set_Encoding;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Use this property to specify the encoding to apply to the XML documents.

ExternalCrypto Property (SOAPSigner 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.

FIPSMode Property (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner Component)

Specifies the SOAP message to be signed.

Syntax

property InputFile: String read get_InputFile write set_InputFile;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Provide a full path to the SOAP message to be signed.

KnownCertificates Property (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner Component)

Provides access to new signature properties.

Syntax

property NewSignature: TsbxSOAPSignature 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 SOAPSignature type for a complete list of fields.

OCSPs Property (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner Component)

A file where the signed SOAP message will be saved.

Syntax

property OutputFile: String read get_OutputFile write set_OutputFile;

Default Value

''

Remarks

Provide a full path to the file where the signed SOAP message should be saved.

Profile Property (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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.

References Property (SOAPSigner Component)

A list of references to the data to be signed.

Syntax

property References: TsbxXMLReferenceList read get_References write set_References;

Remarks

Electronic signature is computed over a set of data pieces. Each piece of data to be signed is specified by a reference.

This property is not available at design time.

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

RevocationCheck Property (SOAPSigner 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.

SecurityHeaderIndex Property (SOAPSigner Component)

Specifies the SecurityHeader index.

Syntax

property SecurityHeaderIndex: Integer read get_SecurityHeaderIndex write set_SecurityHeaderIndex;

Default Value

-1

Remarks

Use this property to specify the index of SecurityHeader element where to put the signature. If the specified SecurityHeader element doesn't exist then a new SecurityHeader element will be created. The default value is "-1", in this case a new SecurityHeader element will be always created.

Signatures Property (SOAPSigner Component)

Provides details of all signatures found in the SOAP message.

Syntax

property Signatures: TsbxSOAPSignatureList read get_Signatures;

Remarks

Use this property to get the details of all the signatures identified in the message.

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

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

SigningCertificate Property (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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.

Timestamps Property (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner Component)

The address of the timestamping server.

Syntax

property TimestampServer: String read get_TimestampServer write set_TimestampServer;

Default Value

''

Remarks

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

TLSClientChain Property (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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.

XPathNamespaces Property (SOAPSigner Component)

Specifies namespaces for XPath expression.

Syntax

property XPathNamespaces: TsbxXMLNamespaceList read get_XPathNamespaces write set_XPathNamespaces;

Remarks

Use this property to provide a list of prefixes and namespaceURIs to use in XPath expressions with TargetXMLElement and XPathPrefixList properties of the references.

This property is not available at design time.

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

AddBodyReference Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Creates a new XML reference to the Body element of the SOAP message.

Syntax

function AddBodyReference(CustomId: String; AutoGenerateId: Boolean): Integer;

Remarks

Use this method to add a reference to the Body element of the SOAP message.

The reference's URI is set basing on the ID of the XML element. If the XML element doesn't have an ID then a CustomId value will be used. If CustomId is empty and AutoGenerateId is set, the ID will be generated automatically. An exception will be thrown otherwise.

Use CanonicalizationMethod and HashAlgorithm properties to specify the canonicalization method and hash algorithm to use.

The method returns the index of the new reference entry in the References collection.

AddDataReference Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Creates a new XML reference to the specified data.

Syntax

function AddDataReference(DataURI: String; Data: TBytes): Integer;

Remarks

Use this method to add a reference to the custom data. Pass the reference's URI via DataURI parameter.

Use HashAlgorithm property to specify the hash algorithm to use.

The method returns the index of the new reference entry in the References collection.

AddReference Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Creates a new XML reference to the specified XML element.

Syntax

function AddReference(TargetXmlElement: String; CustomId: String; AutoGenerateId: Boolean): Integer;

Remarks

Use this method to add a reference to a particular XML element.

The reference's URI is set basing on the ID of the XML element. If the XML element doesn't have an ID then a CustomId value will be used. If CustomId is empty and AutoGenerateId is set, the ID will be generated automatically. An exception will be thrown otherwise.

Use CanonicalizationMethod and HashAlgorithm properties to specify the canonicalization method and hash algorithm to use.

The method returns the index of the new reference entry in the References collection.

AddTimestampValidationData Method (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner Component)

Closes an opened SOAP message.

Syntax

procedure Close(SaveChanges: Boolean);

Remarks

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

Config Method (SOAPSigner 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.

DoAction Method (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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.

GetInnerXML Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Get the inner XML content of the selected XML element.

Syntax

function GetInnerXML(XPath: String): String;

Remarks

Call this method to get the inner XML content of the selected XML element.

GetOuterXML Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Get the outer XML content of the selected XML element.

Syntax

function GetOuterXML(XPath: String): String;

Remarks

Call this method to get the outer XML content of the selected XML element.

GetTextContent Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Get the text content of the selected XML element.

Syntax

function GetTextContent(XPath: String): String;

Remarks

Call this method to get the text content of the selected XML element.

Open Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Opens a document for signing or updating.

Syntax

procedure Open();

Remarks

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

Revalidate Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Revalidates a signature in accordance with current settings.

Syntax

procedure Revalidate(SigIndex: Integer);

Remarks

Use this method to re-validate a signature in the opened SOAP message.

SetInnerXML Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Set the inner XML content of the selected XML element.

Syntax

procedure SetInnerXML(XPath: String; Value: String);

Remarks

Call this method to set the inner XML content of the selected XML element.

SetTextContent Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Set the text content of the selected XML element.

Syntax

procedure SetTextContent(XPath: String; Value: String);

Remarks

Call this method to set the text content of the selected XML element.

Sign Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Signs the SOAP message.

Syntax

procedure Sign();

Remarks

Call this method to generate a signed SOAP message.

SignAsyncBegin Method (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner Component)

Signs the document using an external signing facility.

Syntax

procedure SignExternal();

Remarks

Call this method to delegate 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 (SOAPSigner Component)

Use this method to add an 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. This method could be called separately or in SignatureValidated event handler after successful signature validation. Use the TimestampType parameter to specify the type of timestamp to create

Supported timestamp types:

Upgrade Method (SOAPSigner Component)

Upgrades existing XAdES signature to a new form.

Syntax

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

Remarks

XAdES standard defines a number of different 'forms' of signatures which can be used for different purposes. Use this method to upgrade XAdES signature to a new form specified by ToForm. Signatures can normally be upgraded from less sophisticated levels (BES, EPES) to more sophisticated (T, C, X, X-L, A).

The supported forms are:

ChainElementDownload Event (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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.

Error Event (SOAPSigner Component)

Information about errors during signing.

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 during signing.

ErrorCode contains an error code and Description contains a textual description of the error. For a list of valid error codes and their descriptions, please refer to SOAP.

ExternalSign Event (SOAPSigner 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(); };

FormatElement Event (SOAPSigner Component)

Reports the XML element that is currently being processed.

Syntax

type TFormatElementEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  var StartTagWhitespace: String;
  var EndTagWhitespace: String;
  Level: Integer;
  const Path: String;
  HasChildElements: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnFormatElement: TFormatElementEvent read FOnFormatElement write FOnFormatElement;

Remarks

Path and Level specify the path to the XML element being processed and its nesting level, respectively.

HasChildElements specify if processed XML element has child elements.

Among other purposes, this event may be used to add whitespace formatting before or after a particular element in the signature.

FormatText Event (SOAPSigner Component)

Reports XML text that is currently being processed.

Syntax

type TFormatTextEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  var Text: String;
  TextType: Integer;
  Level: Integer;
  const Path: String
) of Object;

property OnFormatText: TFormatTextEvent read FOnFormatText write FOnFormatText;

Remarks

TextType parameter specifies the type of the XML text (normal or Base64-encoded) that is stored in the element; Path and Level specify the path to the XML element and its nesting level.

Among other purposes, this event may be used to add whitespace formatting before or after a particular element in the signature.

MessageLoaded Event (SOAPSigner Component)

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

Syntax

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

property OnMessageLoaded: TMessageLoadedEvent read FOnMessageLoaded write FOnMessageLoaded;

Remarks

The handler for this event is a good place to check message properties, which may be useful when preparing the signature.

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

Notification Event (SOAPSigner 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:

ReferenceValidated Event (SOAPSigner Component)

Marks the end of a reference validation.

Syntax

type TReferenceValidatedEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  ReferenceIndex: Integer;
  const ID: String;
  const URI: String;
  const RefType: String;
  DigestValid: Boolean
) of Object;

property OnReferenceValidated: TReferenceValidatedEvent read FOnReferenceValidated write FOnReferenceValidated;

Remarks

The component fires this event to report completion of a reference validation. A reference is a building block of a signature as it binds signature coverage to a particular piece of the document.

ResolveReference Event (SOAPSigner Component)

Asks the application to resolve a reference.

Syntax

type TResolveReferenceEvent = procedure (
  Sender: TObject;
  ReferenceIndex: Integer;
  const URI: String
) of Object;

property OnResolveReference: TResolveReferenceEvent read FOnResolveReference write FOnResolveReference;

Remarks

This event is fired when the control could not automatically resolve a reference and requires custom treatment.

URI contains a reference to the data.

ReferenceIndex specifies the index of the reference to process.

Based on the reference's URI the event handler should set either TargetXMLElement or TargetData property of the reference.

SignatureFound Event (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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 (SOAPSigner 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.

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.

SOAPSignature Type

The component is a container for an SOAP message signature.

Remarks

SOAP message may include any number of signatures. component stores on of them.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new SOAP signature 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.

XMLNamespace Type

Represents an XML namespace map for XPath expressions.

Remarks

This class defines the correspondence between Prefixes and namespace URIs.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new XML namespace object.

XMLReference Type

Represents an XML reference element.

Remarks

XMLReference specifies the digest algorithm and digest value, and, optionally: an identifier of the object being signed, the type of the object, and/or a list of transforms to be applied prior to digesting.

Fields

Constructors

>

constructor Create();

Creates a new XML reference element.

>

constructor Create(valID: String);

Creates a new XML reference element from its ID .

>

constructor Create(valID: String; valURI: String);

Creates a new XML reference element from its ID and URI reference to the external data.

Config Settings (SOAPSigner 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.

SOAPSigner Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (SOAPSigner Component)

SOAPSigner 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) 
	33554433   Input file does not exist (SB_ERROR_SOAP_INPUTFILE_NOT_EXISTS)
	33554434   Invalid key type (SB_ERROR_SOAP_INVALID_KEY_TYPE)
	33554435   Signature not found (SB_ERROR_SOAP_SIGNATURE_NOT_FOUND)
	33554436   Unsupported signature type (SB_ERROR_SOAP_UNSUPPORTED_SIGNATURE_TYPE)