CertificateManager Component

Properties   Methods   Events   Config Settings   Errors  

The CertificateManager component supports importing, exporting, and generating X.509 certificates.

Syntax

TsbxCertificateManager

Remarks

Usage of this component includes importing and exporting certificates and keys in various formats, as well as certificate generation.

Loading certificates

In vast majority of SecureBlackbox-powered projects, this component is used to import certificates from files or memory objects for further use in other components, like PDFSigner.

To load a certificate from a file, use the ImportFromFile method. This method supports all existing certificate formats, including PFX, PEM, DER, and P7B. Note that keys contained in PFX and PEM certificates are often encrypted with a password, so you will likely need to provide one for the certificate to be loaded correctly. You can either provide the password via the method's parameter, or provide it on-demand by subscribing to the PasswordNeeded event.

Alternatively, you can use ImportBytes to load a certificate from a different type of media, such as a database.

If your certificate and its private key are stored in separate files or buffers - which is often the case where PEM or DER format is used - please load the certificate with the ImportFromFile method first, and then add the key to it with a separate call to the ImportKeyFromFile method. You can mix and match the certificate and key formats in this case; CertificateManager will handle this automatically.

Note that CertificateManager can only keep one certificate at a time. If your PFX or PEM file contains more than one certificate, use CertificateStorage component to load it instead.

Generating certificates

You can use CertificateManager to generate your own certificates. To generate a certificate, please follow the below steps:

• call CreateNew to initialize a new certificate template.
• set all the needed certificate properties - for example, its subject, serial number, and validity period - via the Certificate property. Some of these properties will be pre-set by the preceding CreateNew call.
• load the CA certificate to a different CertificateManager object, and assign it to the CACertificate property. Note that the CA certificate should have an associated private key. Alternatively, the CA certificate can be loaded using a CertificateStorage object, which allows to import it from a hardware device or a system store.

  Note: you do not need to load and set the CA certificate if generating a self-signed certificate.

• Call Generate to generate a new keypair and wrap it into a certificate.
• Save the certificate using ExportToFile or ExportBytes methods.

  Note: take care to choose a format that supports storing private keys. If you do not save the new private key at this stage, you won't be able to recover it later.

  Note: you can save the private key separately using the ExportKey method.

Generating certificate requests

Apart from certificates, CertificateManager can generate certificate requests (PKCS10). The procedure is the same as when generating certificates. Use the CertType parameter of the CreateNew call to specify that you would like to generate a certificate request, rather than a certificate. You do not need to provide a CA certificate when generating CSRs, as certificate requests are always signed with the keypair they are carrying.

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.

CACertBytes Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

Syntax

__property DynamicArray CACertBytes = { read=FCACertBytes };

Remarks

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

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

Data Type

Byte Array

CACertHandle Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property __int64 CACertHandle = { read=FCACertHandle, write=FSetCACertHandle };

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());

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Long64

CertBytes Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

Syntax

__property DynamicArray CertBytes = { read=FCertBytes };

Remarks

Returns the raw certificate data in DER format.

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

Data Type

Byte Array

CertCA Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates whether the certificate has a CA capability.

Syntax

__property bool CertCA = { read=FCertCA, write=FSetCertCA };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Indicates whether the certificate has a CA capability. For the certificate to be considered a CA, it must have its Basic Constraints extension set with the CA indicator enabled.

Set this property when generating a new certificate to have its Basic Constraints extension generated automatically.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Boolean

CertCAKeyID Property (CertificateManager Component)

A unique identifier (fingerprint) of the CA certificate's cryptographic key.

Syntax

__property DynamicArray CertCAKeyID = { read=FCertCAKeyID };

Remarks

A unique identifier (fingerprint) of the CA certificate's cryptographic key.

Authority Key Identifier is a certificate extension which allows identification of certificates belonging to the same issuer, but with different public keys. It is a de-facto standard to include this extension in all certificates to facilitate chain building.

This setting cannot be set when generating a certificate as it always derives from another certificate property. CertificateManager generates this setting automatically if enough information is available to it: for self-signed certificates, this value is copied from the CertSubjectKeyID setting, and for lower-level certificates, from the parent certificate's subject key ID extension.

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

Data Type

Byte Array

CertCertType Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the type of the entity contained in the Certificate object.

Syntax

__property TsbxCertificateManagerCertCertTypes CertCertType = { read=FCertCertType };

enum TsbxCertificateManagerCertCertTypes {
  ctUnknown=0,
  ctX509Certificate=1,
  ctX509CertificateRequest=2
};

Default Value

ctUnknown

Remarks

Returns the type of the entity contained in the Certificate object.

A Certificate object can contain two types of cryptographic objects: a ready-to-use X.509 certificate, or a certificate request ("an unsigned certificate"). Certificate requests can be upgraded to full certificates by signing them with a CA certificate.

Use the CertificateManager component to load or create new certificate and certificate requests objects.

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

Data Type

Integer

CertCRLDistributionPoints Property (CertificateManager Component)

Contains a list of locations of CRL distribution points used to check this certificate's validity.

Syntax

__property String CertCRLDistributionPoints = { read=FCertCRLDistributionPoints, write=FSetCertCRLDistributionPoints };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Contains a list of locations of CRL distribution points used to check this certificate's validity. The list is taken from the respective certificate extension.

Use this property when generating a certificate to provide a list of CRL endpoints that should be made part of the new certificate.

The endpoints are provided as a list of CRLF-separated URLs. Note that this differs from the behaviour used in earlier product versions, where the "|" character was used as the location separator.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertCurve Property (CertificateManager Component)

Specifies the elliptic curve associated with the certificate's public key.

Syntax

__property String CertCurve = { read=FCertCurve, write=FSetCertCurve };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Specifies the elliptic curve associated with the certificate's public key. This setting only applies to certificates containing EC keys.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertFingerprint Property (CertificateManager Component)

Contains the fingerprint (a hash imprint) of this certificate.

Syntax

__property String CertFingerprint = { read=FCertFingerprint };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Contains the fingerprint (a hash imprint) of this certificate.

While there is no formal standard defining what a fingerprint is, a SHA1 hash of the certificate's DER-encoded body is typically used.

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

Data Type

String

CertFriendlyName Property (CertificateManager Component)

Contains an associated alias (friendly name) of the certificate.

Syntax

__property String CertFriendlyName = { read=FCertFriendlyName };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Contains an associated alias (friendly name) of the certificate. The friendly name is not a property of a certificate: it is maintained by the certificate media rather than being included in its DER representation. Windows certificate stores are one example of media that does support friendly names.

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

Data Type

String

CertHandle Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property __int64 CertHandle = { read=FCertHandle, write=FSetCertHandle };

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());

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Long64

CertHashAlgorithm Property (CertificateManager Component)

Provides means to set the hash algorithm to be used in the subsequent operation on the certificate (such as generation or key signing).

Syntax

__property String CertHashAlgorithm = { read=FCertHashAlgorithm, write=FSetCertHashAlgorithm };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Provides means to set the hash algorithm to be used in the subsequent operation on the certificate (such as generation or key signing). It is not a property of a certificate; use CertSigAlgorithm to find out the hash algorithm that is part of the certificate signature.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertIssuer Property (CertificateManager Component)

The common name of the certificate issuer (CA), typically a company name.

Syntax

__property String CertIssuer = { read=FCertIssuer };

Default Value

""

Remarks

The common name of the certificate issuer (CA), typically a company name. This is part of a larger set of credentials available via CertIssuerRDN.

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

Data Type

String

CertIssuerRDN Property (CertificateManager Component)

A list of Property=Value pairs that uniquely identify the certificate issuer.

Syntax

__property String CertIssuerRDN = { read=FCertIssuerRDN, write=FSetCertIssuerRDN };

Default Value

""

Remarks

A list of Property=Value pairs that uniquely identify the certificate issuer.

Example: /C=US/O=Nationwide CA/CN=Web Certification Authority

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertKeyAlgorithm Property (CertificateManager Component)

Specifies the public key algorithm of this certificate.

Syntax

__property String CertKeyAlgorithm = { read=FCertKeyAlgorithm, write=FSetCertKeyAlgorithm };

Default Value

"0"

Remarks

Specifies the public key algorithm of this certificate.

Use the CertKeyBits, CertCurve, and CertPublicKeyBytes properties to get more details about the key the certificate contains.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertKeyBits Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the length of the public key in bits.

Syntax

__property int CertKeyBits = { read=FCertKeyBits };

Default Value

0

Remarks

Returns the length of the public key in bits.

This value indicates the length of the principal cryptographic parameter of the key, such as the length of the RSA modulus or ECDSA field. The key data returned by the CertPublicKeyBytes or CertPrivateKeyBytes property would typically contain auxiliary values, and therefore be longer.

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

Data Type

Integer

CertKeyFingerprint Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns a SHA1 fingerprint of the public key contained in the certificate.

Syntax

__property String CertKeyFingerprint = { read=FCertKeyFingerprint };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Returns a SHA1 fingerprint of the public key contained in the certificate.

Note that the key fingerprint is different from the certificate fingerprint accessible via the CertFingerprint property. The key fingeprint uniquely identifies the public key, and so can be the same for multiple certificates containing the same key.

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

Data Type

String

CertKeyUsage Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates the purposes of the key contained in the certificate, in the form of an OR'ed flag set.

Syntax

__property int CertKeyUsage = { read=FCertKeyUsage, write=FSetCertKeyUsage };

Default Value

0

Remarks

Indicates the purposes of the key contained in the certificate, in the form of an OR'ed flag set.

This value is a bit mask of the following values:

Set this property before generating the certificate to propagate the key usage flags to the new certificate.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

CertKeyValid Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns True if the certificate's key is cryptographically valid, and False otherwise.

Syntax

__property bool CertKeyValid = { read=FCertKeyValid };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Returns True if the certificate's key is cryptographically valid, and False otherwise.

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

Data Type

Boolean

CertOCSPLocations Property (CertificateManager Component)

Locations of OCSP services that can be used to check this certificate's validity in real time, as recorded by the CA.

Syntax

__property String CertOCSPLocations = { read=FCertOCSPLocations, write=FSetCertOCSPLocations };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Locations of OCSP services that can be used to check this certificate's validity in real time, as recorded by the CA.

Set this property before calling the certificate manager's Generate method to propagate it to the new certificate.

The OCSP locations are provided as a list of CRLF-separated URLs. Note that this differs from the behaviour used in earlier product versions, where the "|" character was used as the location separator.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertOCSPNoCheck Property (CertificateManager Component)

Accessor to the value of the certificate's ocsp-no-check extension.

Syntax

__property bool CertOCSPNoCheck = { read=FCertOCSPNoCheck, write=FSetCertOCSPNoCheck };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Accessor to the value of the certificate's ocsp-no-check extension.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Boolean

CertOrigin Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the location that the certificate was taken or loaded from.

Syntax

__property int CertOrigin = { read=FCertOrigin };

Default Value

0

Remarks

Returns the location that the certificate was taken or loaded from.

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

Data Type

Integer

CertPolicyIDs Property (CertificateManager Component)

Contains identifiers (OIDs) of the applicable certificate policies.

Syntax

__property String CertPolicyIDs = { read=FCertPolicyIDs, write=FSetCertPolicyIDs };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Contains identifiers (OIDs) of the applicable certificate policies.

The Certificate Policies extension identifies a sequence of policies under which the certificate has been issued, and which regulate its usage.

Set this property when generating a certificate to propagate the policies information to the new certificate.

The policies are provided as a list of CRLF-separated entries. Note that this differs from the behaviour used in earlier product versions, where the "|" character was used as the policy element separator.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertPrivateKeyBytes Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the certificate's private key in DER-encoded format.

Syntax

__property DynamicArray CertPrivateKeyBytes = { read=FCertPrivateKeyBytes };

Remarks

Returns the certificate's private key in DER-encoded format. It is normal for this property to be empty if the private key is non-exportable, which, for example, is typical for certificates originating from hardware security devices.

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

Data Type

Byte Array

CertPrivateKeyExists Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates whether the certificate has a usable private key associated with it.

Syntax

__property bool CertPrivateKeyExists = { read=FCertPrivateKeyExists };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Indicates whether the certificate has a usable private key associated with it. If it is set to True, the certificate can be used for private key operations, such as signing or decryption.

This property is independent from CertPrivateKeyBytes, and can be set to True even if the former is empty. This would imply that the private key is non-exportable, but still can be used for cryptographic operations.

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

Data Type

Boolean

CertPrivateKeyExtractable Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates whether the private key is extractable (exportable).

Syntax

__property bool CertPrivateKeyExtractable = { read=FCertPrivateKeyExtractable };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Indicates whether the private key is extractable (exportable).

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

Data Type

Boolean

CertPublicKeyBytes Property (CertificateManager Component)

Contains the certificate's public key in DER format.

Syntax

__property DynamicArray CertPublicKeyBytes = { read=FCertPublicKeyBytes };

Remarks

Contains the certificate's public key in DER format.

This typically would contain an ASN.1-encoded public key value. The exact format depends on the type of the public key contained in the certificate.

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

Data Type

Byte Array

CertQualified Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates whether the certificate is qualified.

Syntax

__property bool CertQualified = { read=FCertQualified };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Indicates whether the certificate is qualified.

This property is set to True if the certificate is confirmed by a Trusted List to be qualified.

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

Data Type

Boolean

CertQualifiedStatements Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns a simplified qualified status of the certificate.

Syntax

__property TsbxCertificateManagerCertQualifiedStatements CertQualifiedStatements = { read=FCertQualifiedStatements, write=FSetCertQualifiedStatements };

enum TsbxCertificateManagerCertQualifiedStatements {
  qstNonQualified=0,
  qstQualifiedHardware=1,
  qstQualifiedSoftware=2
};

Default Value

qstNonQualified

Remarks

Returns a simplified qualified status of the certificate.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

CertQualifiers Property (CertificateManager Component)

A list of qualifiers.

Syntax

__property String CertQualifiers = { read=FCertQualifiers };

Default Value

""

Remarks

A list of qualifiers.

Contains a comma-separated list of qualifier aliases for the certificate, for example QCP-n-qscd,QCWithSSCD.

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

Data Type

String

CertSelfSigned Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates whether the certificate is self-signed (root) or signed by an external CA.

Syntax

__property bool CertSelfSigned = { read=FCertSelfSigned };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Indicates whether the certificate is self-signed (root) or signed by an external CA.

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

Data Type

Boolean

CertSerialNumber Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the certificate's serial number.

Syntax

__property DynamicArray CertSerialNumber = { read=FCertSerialNumber, write=FSetCertSerialNumber };

Remarks

Returns the certificate's serial number.

The serial number is a binary string that uniquely identifies a certificate among others issued by the same CA. According to the X.509 standard, the (issuer, serial number) pair should be globally unique to facilitate chain building.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Byte Array

CertSigAlgorithm Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates the algorithm that was used by the CA to sign this certificate.

Syntax

__property String CertSigAlgorithm = { read=FCertSigAlgorithm };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Indicates the algorithm that was used by the CA to sign this certificate.

A signature algorithm typically combines hash and public key algorithms together, such as sha256WithRSAEncryption or ecdsa-with-SHA256.

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

Data Type

String

CertSource Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns the source (location or disposition) of a cryptographic primitive entity, such as a certificate, CRL, or OCSP response.

Syntax

__property TsbxCertificateManagerCertSources CertSource = { read=FCertSource };

enum TsbxCertificateManagerCertSources {
  pksUnknown=0,
  pksSignature=1,
  pksDocument=2,
  pksUser=3,
  pksLocal=4,
  pksOnline=5
};

Default Value

pksUnknown

Remarks

Returns the source (location or disposition) of a cryptographic primitive entity, such as a certificate, CRL, or OCSP response.

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

Data Type

Integer

CertSubject Property (CertificateManager Component)

The common name of the certificate holder, typically an individual's name, a URL, an e-mail address, or a company name.

Syntax

__property String CertSubject = { read=FCertSubject };

Default Value

""

Remarks

The common name of the certificate holder, typically an individual's name, a URL, an e-mail address, or a company name. This is part of a larger set of credentials available via CertSubjectRDN.

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

Data Type

String

CertSubjectAlternativeName Property (CertificateManager Component)

Returns or sets the value of the Subject Alternative Name extension of the certificate.

Syntax

__property String CertSubjectAlternativeName = { read=FCertSubjectAlternativeName, write=FSetCertSubjectAlternativeName };

Default Value

""

Remarks

Returns or sets the value of the Subject Alternative Name extension of the certificate.

Subject alternative names are used to provide additional names that are impractical to store in the main CertSubjectRDN field. For example, it is often used to store all the domain names that a TLS certificate is authorized to protect.

The alternative names are provided as a list of CRLF-separated entries. Note that this differs from the behaviour used in earlier product versions, where the "|" character was used as the element separator.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertSubjectKeyID Property (CertificateManager Component)

Contains a unique identifier of the certificate's cryptographic key.

Syntax

__property DynamicArray CertSubjectKeyID = { read=FCertSubjectKeyID, write=FSetCertSubjectKeyID };

Remarks

Contains a unique identifier of the certificate's cryptographic key.

Subject Key Identifier is a certificate extension which allows a specific public key to be associated with a certificate holder. Typically, subject key identifiers of CA certificates are recorded as respective CA key identifiers in the subordinate certificates that they issue, which facilitates chain building.

The CertSubjectKeyID and CertCAKeyID properties of self-signed certificates typically contain identical values, as in that specific case, the issuer and the subject are the same entity.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Byte Array

CertSubjectRDN Property (CertificateManager Component)

A list of Property=Value pairs that uniquely identify the certificate holder (subject).

Syntax

__property String CertSubjectRDN = { read=FCertSubjectRDN, write=FSetCertSubjectRDN };

Default Value

""

Remarks

A list of Property=Value pairs that uniquely identify the certificate holder (subject).

Depending on the purpose of the certificate and the policies of the CA that issued it, the values included in the subject record may differ drastically and contain business or personal names, web URLs, email addresses, and other data.

Example: /C=US/O=Oranges and Apples, Inc./OU=Accounts Receivable/1.2.3.4.5=Value with unknown OID/CN=Margaret Watkins.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertValid Property (CertificateManager Component)

Indicates whether or not the signature over the certificate or the request is valid and matches the public key contained in the CA certificate/request.

Syntax

__property bool CertValid = { read=FCertValid };

Default Value

false

Remarks

Indicates whether or not the signature over the certificate or the request is valid and matches the public key contained in the CA certificate/request.

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

Data Type

Boolean

CertValidFrom Property (CertificateManager Component)

The time point at which the certificate becomes valid, in UTC.

Syntax

__property String CertValidFrom = { read=FCertValidFrom, write=FSetCertValidFrom };

Default Value

""

Remarks

The time point at which the certificate becomes valid, in UTC.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

CertValidTo Property (CertificateManager Component)

The time point at which the certificate expires, in UTC.

Syntax

__property String CertValidTo = { read=FCertValidTo, write=FSetCertValidTo };

Default Value

""

Remarks

The time point at which the certificate expires, in UTC.

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

ExternalCryptoAsyncDocumentID Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property String ExternalCryptoAsyncDocumentID = { read=FExternalCryptoAsyncDocumentID, write=FSetExternalCryptoAsyncDocumentID };

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.

Data Type

String

ExternalCryptoCustomParams Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property String ExternalCryptoCustomParams = { read=FExternalCryptoCustomParams, write=FSetExternalCryptoCustomParams };

Default Value

""

Remarks

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

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

ExternalCryptoData Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property String ExternalCryptoData = { read=FExternalCryptoData, write=FSetExternalCryptoData };

Default Value

""

Remarks

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

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

String

ExternalCryptoExternalHashCalculation Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property bool ExternalCryptoExternalHashCalculation = { read=FExternalCryptoExternalHashCalculation, write=FSetExternalCryptoExternalHashCalculation };

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 component.

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

Data Type

Boolean

ExternalCryptoHashAlgorithm Property (CertificateManager Component)

Specifies the request's signature hash algorithm.

Syntax

__property String ExternalCryptoHashAlgorithm = { read=FExternalCryptoHashAlgorithm, write=FSetExternalCryptoHashAlgorithm };

Default Value

"SHA256"

Remarks

Specifies the request's signature hash algorithm.

Data Type

String

ExternalCryptoKeyID Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property String ExternalCryptoKeyID = { read=FExternalCryptoKeyID, write=FSetExternalCryptoKeyID };

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 ExternalCryptoKeySecret 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";

Data Type

String

ExternalCryptoKeySecret Property (CertificateManager Component)

The pre-shared key used for DC request authentication.

Syntax

__property String ExternalCryptoKeySecret = { read=FExternalCryptoKeySecret, write=FSetExternalCryptoKeySecret };

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 ExternalCryptoKeyID topic.

Data Type

String

ExternalCryptoMethod Property (CertificateManager Component)

Specifies the asynchronous signing method.

Syntax

__property TsbxCertificateManagerExternalCryptoMethods ExternalCryptoMethod = { read=FExternalCryptoMethod, write=FSetExternalCryptoMethod };

enum TsbxCertificateManagerExternalCryptoMethods {
  asmdPKCS1=0,
  asmdPKCS7=1
};

Default Value

asmdPKCS1

Remarks

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

Available options:

Data Type

Integer

ExternalCryptoMode Property (CertificateManager Component)

Specifies the external cryptography mode.

Syntax

__property TsbxCertificateManagerExternalCryptoModes ExternalCryptoMode = { read=FExternalCryptoMode, write=FSetExternalCryptoMode };

enum TsbxCertificateManagerExternalCryptoModes {
  ecmDefault=0,
  ecmDisabled=1,
  ecmGeneric=2,
  ecmDCAuth=3,
  ecmDCAuthJSON=4
};

Default Value

ecmDefault

Remarks

Specifies the external cryptography mode.

Available options:

This property is not available at design time.

Data Type

Integer

ExternalCryptoPublicKeyAlgorithm Property (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

__property String ExternalCryptoPublicKeyAlgorithm = { read=FExternalCryptoPublicKeyAlgorithm, write=FSetExternalCryptoPublicKeyAlgorithm };

Default Value

""

Remarks

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

Data Type

String

FIPSMode Property (CertificateManager Component)

Reserved.

Syntax

__property bool FIPSMode = { read=FFIPSMode, write=FSetFIPSMode };

Default Value

false

Remarks

This property is reserved for future use.

Data Type

Boolean

Config Method (CertificateManager Component)

Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.

Syntax

String __fastcall Config(String ConfigurationString);

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 (CertificateManager Component)

Creates a template for a new certificate or CSR with a particular purpose in the Certificate property.

Syntax

void __fastcall CreateNew(int CertType, String Purpose, String Subject);

Remarks

This method pre-generates a certificate template that matches the specified purpose. The created template has its subject and default extensions initialized according to the selected purpose. Use Generate method to complete the process by generating a new keypair and signing it with the CA certificate (if provided).

The CertType parameter specifies the type of the object that you need to create. This can be a certificate or a certificate request (CSR).

Purpose specifies the intended use of certificate. CertificateManager pre-sets some certificate fields and extension (such as key usage) if a certain purpose is selected:

• "generic" or an empty string: a generic certificate with no specific purpose. No extensions are pre-generated.
• "tls": a TLS server certificate
• "tls-client": a client-side TLS certificate
• "email": a secure e-mail (S/MIME) certificate
• "digsig": a digital signature certificate

Subject specifies the common name to include in the certificate. It can be a string of arbitrary format (e.g. "*.domain.com"), or a formatted RDN (e.g. "/C=US/O=Big Company, Inc./CN=Accounts receivable").

Leave all parameters empty to generate an empty template.

DoAction Method (CertificateManager Component)

Performs an additional action.

Syntax

String __fastcall DoAction(String ActionID, String ActionParams);

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;....

ExportBytes Method (CertificateManager Component)

Exports the certificate in the chosen format.

Syntax

DynamicArray<Byte> __fastcall ExportBytes(int Format, bool ExportKey, String Password);

Remarks

Use this method to save the certificate or certificate request in one of the formats defined below.

ExportKey specifies whether to export the private key together with the certificate. Pass the encryption password via the Password parameter if needed.

Note that not all formats support encryption, and some (like PEM) only support partial encryption (key only). Keep this in mind when considering which format to choose for storing your certificates.

ExportKey Method (CertificateManager Component)

Exports the certificate's private key.

Syntax

DynamicArray<Byte> __fastcall ExportKey(int Format, String Password);

Remarks

Use this method to save the certificate private key in one of the formats given below. Pass the encryption password via the Password parameter.

Supported certificate key format values:

ExportKeyToFile Method (CertificateManager Component)

Exports the private key to a file in the chosen format.

Syntax

void __fastcall ExportKeyToFile(String KeyFile, int Format, String Password);

Remarks

Use this method to save the certificate key in one of the formats given below. Pass the encryption password via the Password parameter.

Supported certificate key format values:

ExportToFile Method (CertificateManager Component)

Exports the certificate to a file.

Syntax

void __fastcall ExportToFile(String FileName, int Format, bool ExportKey, String Password);

Remarks

Use this method to save the certificate to a file in one of the formats given below. Pass the encryption password via the Password parameter. Set ExportKey to true to save the private key together with the certificate.

Note that not all formats support encryption, and some (like PEM) only support partial encryption (key only). Keep this in mind when considering which format to choose for storing your certificates.

Generate Method (CertificateManager Component)

Generates a new certificate or certificate request.

Syntax

void __fastcall Generate(int KeyBits);

Remarks

Call this method to generate a new certificate based on the information provided in the Certificate and CACertificate properties:

If CACertificate is not set, a self-signed certificate or certificate request will be generated based on the information set up in Certificate object.

If Certificate contains a certificate, and CACertificate is set, a certificate signed by the CA certificate will be generated based on the information configured in the Certificate object. The resulting certificate will remain in Certificate

If Certificate contains a signed certificate request, and CACertificate is set, a certificate based on the certificate request and signed by the CA certificate will be generated.

KeyBits specifies the number of bits in the key to be generated. Note that this property is ignored in the case of request-based generation.

GenerateAsyncBegin Method (CertificateManager Component)

Initiates asynchronous (DC) certificate generation.

Syntax

String __fastcall GenerateAsyncBegin(int KeyBits);

Remarks

Call this method to initiate an asynchronous certificate generation process. Pass the obtained async state to the DC server for signing. To finalize the generation, pass the async state received from the DC server to GenerateAsyncEnd.

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.

GenerateAsyncEnd Method (CertificateManager Component)

Completes asynchronous certificate generation.

Syntax

void __fastcall GenerateAsyncEnd(String AsyncReply);

Remarks

Call this method to finalize the asynchronous generation process and pass the async state received from DC server via AsyncReply parameter.

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.

GenerateExternal Method (CertificateManager Component)

Generates a new certificate or request over an existing public key.

Syntax

void __fastcall GenerateExternal(DynamicArray<Byte> KeyBytes, String KeyPassword);

Remarks

This method does exactly the same as Generate. The only difference is that instead of generating a new keypair, this method generates a new certificate over an existing keypair. See the rules of the Generate method to learn about parameter configurations for different generation scenarios.

Note: KeyBytes can contain a public or private key - as long as SecureBlackbox recognises the format, it will be processed.

GetExtensionData Method (CertificateManager Component)

Returns extension data.

Syntax

DynamicArray<Byte> __fastcall GetExtensionData(String OID);

Remarks

Use this method to retrieve extension data in ASN.1 encoded format. Use GetExtensionState to check the availability of the extension and establish its critical attribute.

GetExtensionState Method (CertificateManager Component)

Returns certificate extension state.

Syntax

int __fastcall GetExtensionState(String OID);

Remarks

Use this method to find out whether the extension is included in the certificate/CRL and check its critical attribute.

ImportBytes Method (CertificateManager Component)

Imports a certificate.

Syntax

void __fastcall ImportBytes(DynamicArray<Byte> CertBytes, String Password);

Remarks

Use this method to load a certificate or certificate request from a byte array. Provide the password via the Password parameter. The Password parameter is optional. If it is omitted and it is later discovered that the key is password-encrypted, the PasswordNeeded event will be fired to request it. This method supports certificates in DER, PEM, PFX, and SPC formats.

ImportFromFile Method (CertificateManager Component)

Loads a certificate from a file.

Syntax

void __fastcall ImportFromFile(String Path, String Password);

Remarks

This method can load certificates saved in one of the following formats: DER, PEM, PFX, SPC.

Use the Path parameter to provide a path to the certificate, and Password to specify the password. The Password parameter is optional. If it is omitted and it is later discovered that the certificate is password-encrypted, the PasswordNeeded event will be fired to request it.

ImportFromObject Method (CertificateManager Component)

Imports a certificate from a platform object.

Syntax

void __fastcall ImportFromObject(__int64 SrcObj);

Remarks

Use this method to import a certificate from a native platform object, such as X509Certificate2. Depending on the platform, the ObjHandle parameter can be one of the following:

• .NET: X509Certificate2
• Java: X509Certificate
• Windows-based platforms: PCCERT_CONTEXT

ImportKey Method (CertificateManager Component)

Imports a private key.

Syntax

void __fastcall ImportKey(DynamicArray<Byte> Key, String Password);

Remarks

Use this method to load a private key from a byte array. Provide the encryption password via the Password parameter. The Password parameter is optional. If it is omitted and it is later discovered that the key is password-encrypted, the PasswordNeeded event will be fired to request it. If there is an initialized certificate or certificate request object inside the manager, the loaded key gets associated with that object. This method supports keys in DER, PEM, PKCS#8, and PVK formats.

ImportKeyFromFile Method (CertificateManager Component)

Imports a private key from a file.

Syntax

void __fastcall ImportKeyFromFile(String Path, String Password);

Remarks

Use this method to load a private key from a file. Provide the encryption password via the Password parameter. The Password parameter is optional. If it is omitted and it is later discovered that the key is password-encrypted, the PasswordNeeded event will be fired to request it. If there is an initialized certificate or certificate request object inside the manager, the loaded key gets associated with that object. This method supports keys in DER, PEM, PKCS#8, and PVK formats.

ListExtensions Method (CertificateManager Component)

List extensions currently available in the certificate or CRL.

Syntax

String __fastcall ListExtensions();

Remarks

Use this method to list the extensions included in the certificate or CRL. The method returns a list of OIDs separated by newline characters.

Reset Method (CertificateManager Component)

Resets the component settings.

Syntax

void __fastcall Reset();

Remarks

Reset is a generic method available in every component.

SetExtensionData Method (CertificateManager Component)

Sets extension data.

Syntax

void __fastcall SetExtensionData(String OID, DynamicArray<Byte> Value);

Remarks

Use this method to set extension data in encoded ASN.1 format. Use SetExtensionState to enable the extension or change its critical attribute.

SetExtensionState Method (CertificateManager Component)

Sets certificate extension state.

Syntax

void __fastcall SetExtensionState(String OID, int State);

Remarks

Use this method to enable or disable the extension and set its critical attribute.

Update Method (CertificateManager Component)

Renews the certificate.

Syntax

void __fastcall Update();

Remarks

This method renews a certificate by updating its validity period and re-signing the updated version.

Note that this operation expects both Certificate and CACertificate properties to be set.

Validate Method (CertificateManager Component)

Validates the certificate.

Syntax

int __fastcall Validate();

Remarks

Use this method to validate the certificate contained in Certificate. If the certificate being validated is not self-signed, please provide the CA certificate via CACertificate property.

Error Event (CertificateManager Component)

Information about errors during certificate loading, saving or validation.

Syntax

typedef struct {
  int ErrorCode;
  String Description;
} TsbxCertificateManagerErrorEventParams;
typedef void __fastcall (__closure *TsbxCertificateManagerErrorEvent)(System::TObject* Sender, TsbxCertificateManagerErrorEventParams *e);
__property TsbxCertificateManagerErrorEvent OnError = { read=FOnError, write=FOnError };

Remarks

Reports exceptional conditions during certificate loading, exporting, or validation.

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

ExternalSign Event (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

typedef struct {
  String OperationId;
  String HashAlgorithm;
  String Pars;
  String Data;
  String SignedData;
} TsbxCertificateManagerExternalSignEventParams;
typedef void __fastcall (__closure *TsbxCertificateManagerExternalSignEvent)(System::TObject* Sender, TsbxCertificateManagerExternalSignEventParams *e);
__property TsbxCertificateManagerExternalSignEvent OnExternalSign = { 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(); };

Notification Event (CertificateManager Component)

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

Syntax

typedef struct {
  String EventID;
  String EventParam;
} TsbxCertificateManagerNotificationEventParams;
typedef void __fastcall (__closure *TsbxCertificateManagerNotificationEvent)(System::TObject* Sender, TsbxCertificateManagerNotificationEventParams *e);
__property TsbxCertificateManagerNotificationEvent OnNotification = { 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.

PasswordNeeded Event (CertificateManager Component)

This event is fired when a decryption password is needed.

Syntax

typedef struct {
  String Password;
  bool Cancel;
} TsbxCertificateManagerPasswordNeededEventParams;
typedef void __fastcall (__closure *TsbxCertificateManagerPasswordNeededEvent)(System::TObject* Sender, TsbxCertificateManagerPasswordNeededEventParams *e);
__property TsbxCertificateManagerPasswordNeededEvent OnPasswordNeeded = { read=FOnPasswordNeeded, write=FOnPasswordNeeded };

Remarks

The component fires this event when a password is needed to decrypt a certificate or a private key.

In the handler of this event, assign the password to the Password parameter, or set Cancel to true to abort the operation.

Config Settings (CertificateManager 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.

CertificateManager Config Settings

Base Config Settings

Trappable Errors (CertificateManager Component)

CertificateManager Errors