OfficeQuickSigner Class

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The OfficeQuickSigner class signs Office documents in a quick-and-easy manner.

Syntax

class secureblackbox.OfficeQuickSigner

Remarks

OfficeQuickSigner provides digital signing capabilities of Office documents.

Property List

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

document_format Property

Defines the format of the Office document.

Syntax

def get_document_format() -> int: ...

document_format = property(get_document_format, None)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property contains the Office document format.

This property is read-only.

document_type Property

Defines the type of the Office document.

Syntax

def get_document_type() -> str: ...

document_type = property(get_document_type, None)

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property contains the Office document type.

This property is read-only.

external_crypto_async_document_id Property

Specifies an optional document ID for SignAsyncBegin() and SignAsyncEnd() calls.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_async_document_id() -> str: ...
def set_external_crypto_async_document_id(value: str) -> None: ...

external_crypto_async_document_id = property(get_external_crypto_async_document_id, set_external_crypto_async_document_id)

Default Value

""

Remarks

Specifies an optional document ID for SignAsyncBegin() and SignAsyncEnd() calls.

Use this property when working with multi-signature DCAuth requests and responses to uniquely identify documents signed within a larger batch. On the completion stage, this value helps the signing component identify the correct signature in the returned batch of responses.

If using batched requests, make sure to set this property to the same value on both the pre-signing (SignAsyncBegin) and completion (SignAsyncEnd) stages.

external_crypto_custom_params Property

Custom parameters to be passed to the signing service (uninterpreted).

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_custom_params() -> str: ...
def set_external_crypto_custom_params(value: str) -> None: ...

external_crypto_custom_params = property(get_external_crypto_custom_params, set_external_crypto_custom_params)

Default Value

""

Remarks

Custom parameters to be passed to the signing service (uninterpreted).

external_crypto_data Property

Additional data to be included in the async state and mirrored back by the requestor.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_data() -> str: ...
def set_external_crypto_data(value: str) -> None: ...

external_crypto_data = property(get_external_crypto_data, set_external_crypto_data)

Default Value

""

Remarks

Additional data to be included in the async state and mirrored back by the requestor.

external_crypto_external_hash_calculation Property

Specifies whether the message hash is to be calculated at the external endpoint.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_external_hash_calculation() -> bool: ...
def set_external_crypto_external_hash_calculation(value: bool) -> None: ...

external_crypto_external_hash_calculation = property(get_external_crypto_external_hash_calculation, set_external_crypto_external_hash_calculation)

Default Value

FALSE

Remarks

Specifies whether the message hash is to be calculated at the external endpoint. Please note that this mode is not supported by the DCAuth class.

If set to true, the class will pass a few kilobytes of to-be-signed data from the document to the OnExternalSign event. This only applies when SignExternal() is called.

external_crypto_hash_algorithm Property

Specifies the request's signature hash algorithm.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_hash_algorithm() -> str: ...
def set_external_crypto_hash_algorithm(value: str) -> None: ...

external_crypto_hash_algorithm = property(get_external_crypto_hash_algorithm, set_external_crypto_hash_algorithm)

Default Value

"SHA256"

Remarks

Specifies the request's signature hash algorithm.

external_crypto_key_id Property

The ID of the pre-shared key used for DC request authentication.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_key_id() -> str: ...
def set_external_crypto_key_id(value: str) -> None: ...

external_crypto_key_id = property(get_external_crypto_key_id, set_external_crypto_key_id)

Default Value

""

Remarks

The ID of the pre-shared key used for DC request authentication.

Asynchronous DCAuth-driven communication requires that parties authenticate each other with a secret pre-shared cryptographic key. This provides an extra protection layer for the protocol and diminishes the risk of the private key becoming abused by foreign parties. Use this property to provide the pre-shared key identifier, and use external_crypto_key_secret to pass the key itself.

The same KeyID/KeySecret pair should be used on the DCAuth side for the signing requests to be accepted.

Note: The KeyID/KeySecret scheme is very similar to the AuthKey scheme used in various Cloud service providers to authenticate users.

Example: signer.ExternalCrypto.KeyID = "MainSigningKey"; signer.ExternalCrypto.KeySecret = "abcdef0123456789";

external_crypto_key_secret Property

The pre-shared key used for DC request authentication.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_key_secret() -> str: ...
def set_external_crypto_key_secret(value: str) -> None: ...

external_crypto_key_secret = property(get_external_crypto_key_secret, set_external_crypto_key_secret)

Default Value

""

Remarks

The pre-shared key used for DC request authentication. This key must be set and match the key used by the DCAuth counterpart for the scheme to work.

Read more about configuring authentication in the external_crypto_key_id topic.

external_crypto_method Property

Specifies the asynchronous signing method.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_method() -> int: ...
def set_external_crypto_method(value: int) -> None: ...

external_crypto_method = property(get_external_crypto_method, set_external_crypto_method)

Default Value

0

Remarks

Specifies the asynchronous signing method. This is typically defined by the DC server capabilities and setup.

Available options:

external_crypto_mode Property

Specifies the external cryptography mode.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_mode() -> int: ...
def set_external_crypto_mode(value: int) -> None: ...

external_crypto_mode = property(get_external_crypto_mode, set_external_crypto_mode)

Default Value

0

Remarks

Specifies the external cryptography mode.

Available options:

external_crypto_public_key_algorithm Property

Provide the public key algorithm here if the certificate is not available on the pre-signing stage.

Syntax

def get_external_crypto_public_key_algorithm() -> str: ...
def set_external_crypto_public_key_algorithm(value: str) -> None: ...

external_crypto_public_key_algorithm = property(get_external_crypto_public_key_algorithm, set_external_crypto_public_key_algorithm)

Default Value

""

Remarks

Provide the public key algorithm here if the certificate is not available on the pre-signing stage.

fips_mode Property

Reserved.

Syntax

def get_fips_mode() -> bool: ...
def set_fips_mode(value: bool) -> None: ...

fips_mode = property(get_fips_mode, set_fips_mode)

Default Value

FALSE

Remarks

This property is reserved for future use.

hash_algorithm Property

Specifies the hash algorithm to be used.

Syntax

def get_hash_algorithm() -> str: ...
def set_hash_algorithm(value: str) -> None: ...

hash_algorithm = property(get_hash_algorithm, set_hash_algorithm)

Default Value

"SHA256"

Remarks

Use this property to set the hash algorithm for signature calculation.

Supported values:

input_bytes Property

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

Syntax

def get_input_bytes() -> bytes: ...
def set_input_bytes(value: bytes) -> None: ...

input_bytes = property(get_input_bytes, set_input_bytes)

Remarks

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

input_file Property

The file to be signed.

Syntax

def get_input_file() -> str: ...
def set_input_file(value: str) -> None: ...

input_file = property(get_input_file, set_input_file)

Default Value

""

Remarks

Provide the path to the Office document to be signed.

output_bytes Property

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

Syntax

def get_output_bytes() -> bytes: ...

output_bytes = property(get_output_bytes, None)

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 output_file and output_stream properties had not been assigned.

This property is read-only.

output_file Property

Defines where to save the signed document.

Syntax

def get_output_file() -> str: ...
def set_output_file(value: str) -> None: ...

output_file = property(get_output_file, set_output_file)

Default Value

""

Remarks

Specifies the path where the signed Office document should be saved.

signature_type Property

Specifies the type of the signature to be made.

Syntax

def get_signature_type() -> int: ...
def set_signature_type(value: int) -> None: ...

signature_type = property(get_signature_type, set_signature_type)

Default Value

0

Remarks

Use this property to define what kind of signature should be made over the document.

sign_core_properties Property

Whether to sign the core properties of the document.

Syntax

def get_sign_core_properties() -> bool: ...
def set_sign_core_properties(value: bool) -> None: ...

sign_core_properties = property(get_sign_core_properties, set_sign_core_properties)

Default Value

FALSE

Remarks

The core properties are a set of elements that describe common and well-known properties of the Office document package such as creator, version, revision, etc.

sign_document Property

Whether to sign the document itself.

Syntax

def get_sign_document() -> bool: ...
def set_sign_document(value: bool) -> None: ...

sign_document = property(get_sign_document, set_sign_document)

Default Value

TRUE

Remarks

Use this property to specify whether the signature should be computed over the document itself.

signing_cert_bytes Property

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

Syntax

def get_signing_cert_bytes() -> bytes: ...

signing_cert_bytes = property(get_signing_cert_bytes, None)

Remarks

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

This property is read-only.

signing_cert_handle Property

Allows to get or set a 'handle', a unique identifier of the underlying property object.

Syntax

def get_signing_cert_handle() -> int: ...
def set_signing_cert_handle(value: int) -> None: ...

signing_cert_handle = property(get_signing_cert_handle, set_signing_cert_handle)

Default Value

0

Remarks

Allows to get or set a 'handle', a unique identifier of the underlying property object. Use this property to assign objects of the same type in a quicker manner, without copying them fieldwise.

When you pass a handle of one object to another, the source object is copied to the destination rather than assigned. It is safe to get rid of the original object after such operation. pdfSigner.setSigningCertHandle(certMgr.getCertHandle());

signing_chain_count Property

The number of records in the SigningChain arrays.

Syntax

def get_signing_chain_count() -> int: ...
def set_signing_chain_count(value: int) -> None: ...

signing_chain_count = property(get_signing_chain_count, set_signing_chain_count)

Default Value

0

Remarks

This property controls the size of the following arrays:

• signing_chain_bytes
• signing_chain_handle

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

signing_chain_bytes Property

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

Syntax

def get_signing_chain_bytes(signing_chain_index: int) -> bytes: ...

Remarks

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

The signing_chain_index parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the signing_chain_count property.

This property is read-only.

signing_chain_handle Property

Allows to get or set a 'handle', a unique identifier of the underlying property object.

Syntax

def get_signing_chain_handle(signing_chain_index: int) -> int: ...
def set_signing_chain_handle(signing_chain_index: int, value: int) -> None: ...

Default Value

0

Remarks

Allows to get or set a 'handle', a unique identifier of the underlying property object. Use this property to assign objects of the same type in a quicker manner, without copying them fieldwise.

When you pass a handle of one object to another, the source object is copied to the destination rather than assigned. It is safe to get rid of the original object after such operation. pdfSigner.setSigningCertHandle(certMgr.getCertHandle());

The signing_chain_index parameter specifies the index of the item in the array. The size of the array is controlled by the signing_chain_count property.

sign_signature_origin Property

Whether to sign the signature origin.

Syntax

def get_sign_signature_origin() -> bool: ...
def set_sign_signature_origin(value: bool) -> None: ...

sign_signature_origin = property(get_sign_signature_origin, set_sign_signature_origin)

Default Value

FALSE

Remarks

Specifies whether to sign the XPS document's signature origin.

config Method

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

def config(configuration_string: str) -> str: ...

Remarks

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

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

do_action Method

Performs an additional action.

Syntax

def do_action(action_id: str, action_params: str) -> str: ...

Remarks

do_action is a generic method available in every class. 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;....

extract_async_data Method

Extracts user data from the DC signing service response.

Syntax

def extract_async_data(async_reply: str) -> str: ...

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.

sign Method

Calculates the signature value.

Syntax

def sign() -> None: ...

Remarks

Call this method to generate a signature over the document.

sign_async_begin Method

Initiates the asynchronous signing operation.

Syntax

def sign_async_begin() -> str: ...

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 output_file (or output_stream). 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 input_file (or input_stream), and call sign_async_end 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 signing_certificate 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 sign_async_end 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 sign_async_begin 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 class), which processes it and produces a matching signature state. The async state produced by the server is then passed to the sign_async_end method.

sign_async_end Method

Completes the asynchronous signing operation.

Syntax

def sign_async_end(async_reply: str) -> None: ...

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 sign_async_begin call to input_file (or input_stream). The method will embed the signature into the pre-signed document, and save the complete signed document to output_file (or output_stream).

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 signing_certificate 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 (sign_async_begin) 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 sign_async_begin 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 class), which processes it and produces a matching signature state. The async state produced by the server is then passed to the sign_async_end method.

sign_external Method

Signs the document using an external signing facility.

Syntax

def sign_external() -> None: ...

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 class fires on_external_sign event which allows to pass the hash value for signing.

on_error Event

Information about errors during signing.

Syntax

class OfficeQuickSignerErrorEventParams(object):
  @property
  def error_code() -> int: ...

  @property
  def description() -> str: ...

# In class OfficeQuickSigner:
@property
def on_error() -> Callable[[OfficeQuickSignerErrorEventParams], None]: ...
@on_error.setter
def on_error(event_hook: Callable[[OfficeQuickSignerErrorEventParams], None]) -> None: ...

Remarks

This event is fired in case of exceptional conditions during the office document processing.

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

on_external_sign Event

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

Syntax

class OfficeQuickSignerExternalSignEventParams(object):
  @property
  def operation_id() -> str: ...

  @property
  def hash_algorithm() -> str: ...

  @property
  def pars() -> str: ...

  @property
  def data() -> str: ...

  @property
  def signed_data() -> str: ...
  @signed_data.setter
  def signed_data(value) -> None: ...

# In class OfficeQuickSigner:
@property
def on_external_sign() -> Callable[[OfficeQuickSignerExternalSignEventParams], None]: ...
@on_external_sign.setter
def on_external_sign(event_hook: Callable[[OfficeQuickSignerExternalSignEventParams], None]) -> None: ...

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 class via the SignedData parameter.

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

The class 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(); };

on_notification Event

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

Syntax

class OfficeQuickSignerNotificationEventParams(object):
  @property
  def event_id() -> str: ...

  @property
  def event_param() -> str: ...

# In class OfficeQuickSigner:
@property
def on_notification() -> Callable[[OfficeQuickSignerNotificationEventParams], None]: ...
@on_notification.setter
def on_notification(event_hook: Callable[[OfficeQuickSignerNotificationEventParams], None]) -> None: ...

Remarks

The class fires this event to let the application know about some event, occurrence, or milestone in the class. 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 class, the exact action it is performing, or the document being processed, one or both may be omitted.

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

OfficeQuickSigner Config Settings

The class 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 class, access to these internal properties is provided through the config method.

OfficeQuickSigner Config Settings

Base Config Settings

OfficeQuickSigner Errors

OfficeQuickSigner Errors

	1048577   Invalid parameter value (SB_ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER)
	1048578   Class 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) 
	24117249   Input file does not exist (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_INPUTFILE_NOT_EXISTS)
	24117250   Unsupported document format (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_UNSUPPORTED_DOCUMENT_FORMAT)
	24117251   Document cannot be signed (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_DOCUMENT_NOT_SIGNABLE)
	24117252   Document is not signed (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_DOCUMENT_NOT_SIGNED)
	24117253   Document is encrypted (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_DOCUMENT_ENCRYPTED)
	24117254   Document cannot be encrypted (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_DOCUMENT_NOT_ENCRYPTABLE)
	24117255   Document is not encrypted (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_DOCUMENT_NOT_ENCRYPTED)
	24117256   Unknown encryption algorithm (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_DOCUMENT_UNKNOWN_ENCRYPTION)
	24117257   Invalid password (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_INVALID_PASSWORD)
	24117258   Signature not found (SB_ERROR_OFFICE_SIGNATURE_NOT_FOUND)