Mime VB.NET Reference Documentation

Mime

Current Version: 10.0.0

Chilkat MIME allows you to easily create and manipulate MIME and S/MIME messages from within your applications.

Object Creation

Dim obj As New Chilkat.Mime()

Properties

Boundary
Boundary As String

The boundary string for a multipart MIME message.

It is the value of the boundary attribute of the Content-Type header field. For example, if the Content-Type header is this:

Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------080707010302060306060800"
then the value of the Boundary property is "------------080707010302060306060800".

When building multipart MIME messages, the boundary is automatically generated by methods such as NewMultipartMixed, to be a unique and random string, so explicitly setting the boundary is usually not necessary.

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Charset
Charset As String

The value of the "charset" attribute of the Content-Type header field. For example, if the Content-Type header is this:

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
then the value of the Charset property is "iso-8859-1".

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CmsOptions
CmsOptions As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.78

A JSON string for controlling extra CMS (PKCS7) signature and validation options.

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ContentType
ContentType As String

The MIME content type, such as "text/plain", "text/html", "image/gif", "multipart/alternative", "multipart/mixed", etc.

It is the value of the Content-Type header field, excluding any attributes. For example, if the Content-Type header is this:

Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------080707010302060306060800"
then the value of the ContentType property is "multipart/mixed".

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CurrentDateTime
CurrentDateTime As String (ReadOnly)

Returns the current date/time in RFC 822 format.

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DebugLogFilePath
DebugLogFilePath As String

If set to a file path, causes each Chilkat method or property call to automatically append it's LastErrorText to the specified log file. The information is appended such that if a hang or crash occurs, it is possible to see the context in which the problem occurred, as well as a history of all Chilkat calls up to the point of the problem. The VerboseLogging property can be set to provide more detailed information.

This property is typically used for debugging the rare cases where a Chilkat method call hangs or generates an exception that halts program execution (i.e. crashes). A hang or crash should generally never happen. The typical causes of a hang are:

  1. a timeout related property was set to 0 to explicitly indicate that an infinite timeout is desired,
  2. the hang is actually a hang within an event callback (i.e. it is a hang within the application code), or
  3. there is an internal problem (bug) in the Chilkat code that causes the hang.

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Disposition
Disposition As String

The value of the Content-Disposition header field, excluding any attributes. For example, if the Content-Disposition header is this:

Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="starfish.gif"
then the value of the Disposition property is "attachment".

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Encoding
Encoding As String

The value of the Content-Transfer-Encoding header field. Typical values are "base64", "quoted-printable", "7bit", "8bit", "binary", etc. For example, if the Content-Transfer-Encoding header is this:

Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
then the value of the Encoding property is "base64".

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Filename
Filename As String

The value of the "filename" attribute of the Content-Disposition header field. For example, if the Content-Disposition header is this:

Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="starfish.gif"
then the value of the Filename property is "starfish.gif".

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LastErrorHtml
LastErrorHtml As String (ReadOnly)

Provides information in HTML format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastErrorText
LastErrorText As String (ReadOnly)

Provides information in plain-text format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastErrorXml
LastErrorXml As String (ReadOnly)

Provides information in XML format about the last method/property called. If a method call returns a value indicating failure, or behaves unexpectedly, examine this property to get more information.

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LastMethodSuccess
LastMethodSuccess As Boolean

Indicate whether the last method call succeeded or failed. A value of True indicates success, a value of False indicates failure. This property is automatically set for method calls. It is not modified by property accesses. The property is automatically set to indicate success for the following types of method calls:

  • Any method that returns a string.
  • Any method returning a Chilkat object, binary bytes, or a date/time.
  • Any method returning a standard boolean status value where success = True and failure = False.
  • Any method returning an integer where failure is defined by a return value less than zero.

Note: Methods that do not fit the above requirements will always set this property equal to True. For example, a method that returns no value (such as a "void" in C++) will technically always succeed.

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Micalg
Micalg As String

The value of the "micalg" attribute of the Content-Type header field. For example, if the Content-Type header is this:

Content-Type: multipart/signed; protocol="application/x-pkcs7-signature"; micalg=sha1; 
  boundary="------------ms000908010507020408060303"
then the value of the Micalg property is "sha".

Note: The micalg attribute is only present in PKCS7 signed MIME. Setting the Micalg property has the effect of choosing the hash algorithm used w/ signing. Possible choices are "sha1", "md5", "sha256", "sha384", and "sha512". However, it is preferable to set the signing hash algorithm by setting the SigningHashAlg property instead.

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Name
Name As String

The value of the "name" attribute of the Content-Type header field. For example, if the Content-Type header is this:

Content-Type: image/gif; name="starfish.gif"
then the value of the Name property is "starfish.gif".

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NumEncryptCerts
NumEncryptCerts As Integer (ReadOnly)

The number of certificates found when decrypting S/MIME. This property is set after UnwrapSecurity is called.

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NumHeaderFields
NumHeaderFields As Integer (ReadOnly)

The number of header fields. Header field names and values can be retrieved by index (starting at 0) by calling GetHeaderFieldName and GetHeaderFieldValue.

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NumParts
NumParts As Integer (ReadOnly)

MIME messages are composed of parts in a tree structure. The NumParts property contains the number of direct children. To traverse an entire MIME tree, one would recursively descend the tree structure by iterating from 0 to NumParts-1, calling GetPart to get each direct child MIME object. The traversal would continue by iterating over each child's parts, and so on.

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NumSignerCerts
NumSignerCerts As Integer (ReadOnly)

The number of certificates found when verifying signature(s). This property is set after UnwrapSecurity is called.

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OaepHash
OaepHash As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.67

Selects the hash algorithm for use within OAEP padding when encrypting MIME using RSAES-OAEP. The valid choices are "sha1", "sha256", "sha384", "sha512",

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OaepMgfHash
OaepMgfHash As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.71

Selects the MGF hash algorithm for use within OAEP padding when encrypting MIME using RSAES-OAEP. The valid choices are "sha1", "sha256", "sha384", "sha512", The default is "sha1".

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OaepPadding
OaepPadding As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.67

Selects the RSA encryption scheme when encrypting MIME. The default value is False, which selects RSAES_PKCS1-V1_5. If set to True, then RSAES_OAEP is used.

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Pkcs7CryptAlg
Pkcs7CryptAlg As String

When the MIME is encrypted (using PKCS7 public-key encryption), this selects the underlying symmetric encryption algorithm. Possible values are: "aes", "des", "3des", and "rc2". The default value is "aes".

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Pkcs7KeyLength
Pkcs7KeyLength As Integer

When the MIME is encrypted (using PKCS7 public-key encryption), this selects the key length of the underlying symmetric encryption algorithm. The possible values allowed depend on the Pkcs7CryptAlg property. For "aes", the key length may be 128, 192, or 256. For "3des" the key length must be 192. For "des" the key length must be 40. For "rc2" the key length can be 40, 56, 64, or 128.

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Protocol
Protocol As String

The value of the "protocol" attribute of the Content-Type header field. For example, if the Content-Type header is this:

Content-Type: multipart/signed; protocol="application/x-pkcs7-signature"; micalg=sha1; 
  boundary="------------ms000908010507020408060303"
then the value of the Protocol property is "application/x-pkcs7-signature".

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SigningAlg
SigningAlg As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.67

Selects the signature algorithm to be used when creating signed (PKCS7/CMS) MIME. The default value is "PKCS1-v1_5". This can be set to "RSASSA-PSS" (or simply "pss") to use the RSASSA-PSS signature scheme.

Note: This property only applies when signing with an RSA private key. It does not apply for ECC or DSA private keys.

Also: This property does not get set when a signature is verified. It is only used to specify the algorithm when creating a signature. The LastJsonData method can be used to get information about the verified signature(s).

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SigningHashAlg
SigningHashAlg As String

Selects the underlying hash algorithm used when creating signed (PKCS7) MIME. Possible values are "sha1", "sha256", "sha384", "sha512", "md5", and "md2".

Note: This property does not get set when a signature is verified. It is only used to specify the algorithm when creating a signature. The LastJsonData method can be used to get information about the verified signature(s).

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UncommonOptions
UncommonOptions As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.89

This is a catch-all property to be used for uncommon needs. This property defaults to the empty string and should typically remain empty.

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UnwrapExtras
UnwrapExtras As Boolean

Controls whether extra (informative) header fields are added to the MIME message when unwrapping security.

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UseMmDescription
UseMmDescription As Boolean

Controls whether the boilerplate text "This is a multi-part message in MIME format." is used as the body content of a multipart MIME part.

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UseXPkcs7
UseXPkcs7 As Boolean

If True, then the Content-Type header fields created by Chilkat will use "x-pkcs7" instead of simply "pkcs7" . For example:

Content-Type: multipart/signed;
	boundary="----=_NextPart_af8_0422_dbec3a60.7178e470";
	protocol="application/x-pkcs7-signature"; micalg=sha1

or

Content-Type: application/x-pkcs7-mime; name="smime.p7m"
If False, then the "pcks7" is used. For example:
Content-Type: multipart/signed;
	boundary="----=_NextPart_af8_0422_dbec3a60.7178e470";
	protocol="application/pkcs7-signature"; micalg=sha1

or

Content-Type: application/pkcs7-mime; name="smime.p7m"
The default value of this property is True, meaning that "x-" is used by default.

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VerboseLogging
VerboseLogging As Boolean

If set to True, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is False. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.

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Version
Version As String (ReadOnly)

Version of the component/library, such as "9.5.0.94"

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Methods

AddContentLength
Sub AddContentLength()

Computes the size of the MIME body and adds a Content-Length header field with the computed value. If the MIME body is non-multipart, the Content-Length is just the size of the content. If the MIME is multipart, then the Content-Length is the sum of all the sub-parts. Calling this method more than once causes the Content-Length header to be re-computed and updated.

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AddDecryptCert
Function AddDecryptCert(ByVal cert As Cert) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Makes a certificate available for decrypting if needed by methods that decrypt, such as UnwrapSecurity. This method may be called multiple times to make more than one certificate (and it's private key) available. Alternative methods for making certificates available are UseCertVault, AddPfxSourceFile, and AddPfxSourceData.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddDetachedSignature
Function AddDetachedSignature(ByVal cert As Cert) As Boolean

Signs the message using the certificate provided. If successful, the message is converted to "multipart/signed" and the original message will be contained in the first sub-part.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddDetachedSignature2
Function AddDetachedSignature2(ByVal cert As Cert, ByVal transferHeaderFields As Boolean) As Boolean

Same as AddDetachedSignature, except an extra argument is provided to control whether header fields from the calling MIME object are transferred to the content part of the multipart/signed object. This method transforms the calling object into a multipart/signed MIME with two sub-parts. The first contains the original content of the calling object, and the second contains the digital signature.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddDetachedSignaturePk
Function AddDetachedSignaturePk(ByVal cert As Cert, ByVal privateKey As PrivateKey) As Boolean

Adds a detached signature using a certificate and it's associated private key. This method would be used when the private key is external to the certificate -- for example, if a PFX/P12 file is not used, but instead a pair of .cer and .pem files are used (one for the certificate and one for the associated private key).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddDetachedSignaturePk2
Function AddDetachedSignaturePk2(ByVal cert As Cert, ByVal privateKey As PrivateKey, ByVal transferHeaderFields As Boolean) As Boolean

Same as AddDetachedSignaturePk, except an extra argument is provided to control whether header fields from the calling MIME object are transferred to the content part of the multipart/signed object. This method transforms the calling object into a multipart/signed MIME with two sub-parts. The first contains the original content of the calling object, and the second contains the digital signature.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddEncryptCert
Function AddEncryptCert(ByVal cert As Cert) As Boolean

Adds a certificate to the object's internal list of certificates to be used when the EncryptN method is called. (See the EncryptN method for more information.) The internal list may be cleared by calling ClearEncryptCerts.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddHeaderField
Function AddHeaderField(ByVal name As String, ByVal value As String) As Boolean

Adds a header field to the MIME.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddPfxSourceData
Function AddPfxSourceData(ByVal pfxFileData As Byte(), ByVal pfxPassword As String) As Boolean

Adds a PFX to the object's internal list of sources to be searched for certificates and private keys when decrypting . Multiple PFX sources can be added by calling this method once for each. (On the Windows operating system, the registry-based certificate stores are also automatically searched, so it is commonly not required to explicitly add PFX sources.)

The pfxFileData contains the bytes of a PFX file (also known as PKCS12 or .p12).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AddPfxSourceFile
Function AddPfxSourceFile(ByVal pfxFilePath As String, ByVal password As String) As Boolean

Adds a PFX file to the object's internal list of sources to be searched for certificates and private keys when decrypting. Multiple PFX files can be added by calling this method once for each. (On the Windows operating system, the registry-based certificate stores are also automatically searched, so it is commonly not required to explicitly add PFX sources.)

The pfxFilePath contains the bytes of a PFX file (also known as PKCS12 or .p12).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AppendPart
Function AppendPart(ByVal mime As Mime) As Boolean

Appends a MIME message to the sub-parts of this message. Arbitrarily complex messages with unlimited nesting levels can be created. If the calling Mime object is not already multipart, it is automatically converted to multipart/mixed first.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AppendPartFromFile
Function AppendPartFromFile(ByVal filename As String) As Boolean

Loads a file and creates a Mime message object using the file extension to determine the content type, and adds it as a sub-part to the calling object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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AsnBodyToXml
Function AsnBodyToXml() As String

When the body of a MIME part contains PKCS7 (ASN.1 in DER format, base64-encoded), this method can be used to convert the ASN.1 to an XML format for inspection. Here is an example of how an ASN.1 body might look:

Content-Type: application/x-pkcs7-mime;
	name="smime.p7m"; smime-type="signed-data"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="smime.p7m"

MIIXXAYJKoZIhvcNAQcCoIIXTTCCF0kCAQExCzAJBgUrDgMCGgUAMFoGCSqGSIb3DQEHAaBNBEtD
b250ZW50LVR5cGU6IHRleHQvcGxhaW4NCkNvbnRlbnQtVHJhbnNmZXItRW5jb2Rpbmc6IDdiaXQN
Cg0KdGhpcyBpcyBhIHRlc3SgghI/MIIE3jCCA8agAwIBAgICAwEwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAwYzEL
...
The XML produced would look something like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<sequence>
    <oid>1.2.840.113549.1.7.2</oid>
    <contextSpecific tag="0" constructed="1">
        <sequence>
            <int>01</int>
            <set>
                <sequence>
                    <oid>1.3.14.3.2.26</oid>
                    <null />
                </sequence>
            </set>
            <sequence>
                <oid>1.2.840.113549.1.7.1</oid>
                <contextSpecific tag="0" constructed="1">
...

Returns Nothing on failure

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ClearEncryptCerts
Sub ClearEncryptCerts()

Clears the internal list of certificates added by previous calls to the AddEncryptCert method. (See the EncryptN method for information about encrypting using multiple certificates.)

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ContainsEncryptedParts
Function ContainsEncryptedParts() As Boolean

Returns True if the MIME message contains encrypted parts.

Note: This method examines the MIME as-is. If UnwrapSecurity is called and it is successful, then the MIME should no longer contain encrypted parts, and this method would return 0.

Note: If a signed MIME message is then encrypted, then it is not possible to know that the MIME is both encrypted and signed until UnwrapSecurity is called. (In other words, it is not possible to know the contents of the encrypted MIME until it is decrypted.) Therefore, the ContainsSignedParts method would return False.

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ContainsSignedParts
Function ContainsSignedParts() As Boolean

Returns True if the MIME message contains signed parts.

Note: This method examines the MIME as-is. If UnwrapSecurity is called and it is successful, then the MIME should no longer contain signed parts, and this method would return 0.

Note: If a signed MIME message is then encrypted, then it is not possible to know that the MIME is both encrypted and signed until UnwrapSecurity is called. (In other words, it is not possible to know the contents of the encrypted MIME until it is decrypted.) Therefore, the ContainsSignedParts method would return False.

Note: The same concept also applies to opaque signatures, such as with the MIME produced by calling ConvertToSigned.

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Convert8Bit
Sub Convert8Bit()

Changes the content-transfer-encoding to "base64" for all 8bit or binary MIME subparts. This allows for the MIME to be exported as a string via the GetMime method.

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ConvertToMultipartAlt
Function ConvertToMultipartAlt() As Boolean

Converts existing MIME to a multipart/alternative. This is accomplished by creating a new outermost multipart/alternative MIME part. The existing MIME is moved into the 1st (and only) sub-part of the new multipart/alternative enclosure. Header fields from the original top-level MIME part are transferred to the new top-level multipart/alternative header, except for Content-Type, Content-Transfer-Encoding, and Content-Disposition. For example, the following simple plain-text MIME is converted as follows:

Original:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 11:18:44 -0500
Message-ID: <D105FA9A2B5F34E253C6E255D58247D26F8BD724@CHILKAT13>
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
Subject: this is the subject.
From: "Chilkat Software" [email protected]>
To: "Chilkat Sales" [email protected]>

This is the plain-text body.

After Converting:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 11:18:44 -0500
Message-ID: <D105FA9A2B5F34E253C6E255D58247D26F8BD724@CHILKAT13>
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
Subject: this is the subject.
From: "Chilkat Software" [email protected]>
To: "Chilkat Sales" [email protected]>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
	boundary="------------040101040804050401050400_.ALT"

--------------040101040804050401050400_.ALT
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This is the plain-text body.
--------------040101040804050401050400_.ALT--

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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ConvertToMultipartMixed
Function ConvertToMultipartMixed() As Boolean

Converts existing MIME to a multipart/mixed. This is accomplished by creating a new outermost multipart/mixed MIME part. The existing MIME is moved into the 1st (and only) sub-part of the new multipart/mixed enclosure. Header fields from the original top-level MIME part are transferred to the new top-level multipart/mixed header, except for Content-Type, Content-Transfer-Encoding, and Content-Disposition. For example, the following simple plain-text MIME is converted as follows:

Original:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 11:27:04 -0500
Message-ID: <B43DAF999B38BFE2C7240D86E691B8628D9D0BF4@CHILKAT13>
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
Subject: this is the subject.
From: "Chilkat Software" [email protected]>
To: "Chilkat Sales" [email protected]>

This is the plain-text body.

After Converting:

MIME-Version: 1.0
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 11:27:04 -0500
Message-ID: <B43DAF999B38BFE2C7240D86E691B8628D9D0BF4@CHILKAT13>
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
Subject: this is the subject.
From: "Chilkat Software" [email protected]>
To: "Chilkat Sales" [email protected]>
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
	boundary="------------050508060709030908040207"

--------------050508060709030908040207
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This is the plain-text body.
--------------050508060709030908040207--

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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ConvertToSigned
Function ConvertToSigned(ByVal cert As Cert) As Boolean

Digitally signs a MIME message. The MIME is converted to an application/x-pkcs7-mime which is a PKCS7 signature that includes both the original MIME message and the signature. This is different than AddDetachedSignature, where the signature is appended to the MIME.

Note: This is commonly referred to as an "opaque" signature.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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ConvertToSignedPk
Function ConvertToSignedPk(ByVal cert As Cert, ByVal privateKey As PrivateKey) As Boolean

Digitally signs the MIME to convert it to an "opaque" signed message using a certificate and it's associated private key. This method would be used when the private key is external to the certificate -- for example, if a PFX/P12 file is not used, but instead a pair of .cer and .pem files are used (one for the certificate and one for the associated private key).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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Decrypt
Function Decrypt() As Boolean

Decrypts PKCS7 encrypted MIME (also known as S/MIME). Information about the certificates required for decryption is always embedded within PKCS7 encrypted MIME. This method will automatically find and use the certificate + private key required from three possible sources:

  1. PFX files that were provided in one or more calls to AddPfxSourceData or AddPfxSourceFile.
  2. Certificates found in an XML certificate vault provided by calling the UseCertVault method.
  3. (On Windows systems) Certificates found in the system's registry-based certificate stores.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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Decrypt2
Function Decrypt2(ByVal cert As Cert, ByVal privateKey As PrivateKey) As Boolean

The same as Decrypt, but useful when the certificate and private key are available in separate files (as opposed to a single file such as a .pfx/.p12).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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DecryptUsingCert
Function DecryptUsingCert(ByVal cert As Cert) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Decrypts PKCS7 encrypted MIME (also known as S/MIME) using a specific certificate.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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DecryptUsingPfxData
Function DecryptUsingPfxData(ByVal pfxData As Byte(), ByVal password As String) As Boolean

Decrypts MIME using a specific PFX ( also known as PKCS12, which is a file format commonly used to store private keys with accompanying public key certificates, protected with a password-based symmetric key). This method allows the bytes of the PKCS12 file to be passed directly, thus allowing PKCS12's to be persisted and retrieved from non-file-based locations, such as in LDAP or a database.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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DecryptUsingPfxFile
Function DecryptUsingPfxFile(ByVal pfxFilePath As String, ByVal pfxPassword As String) As Boolean

Decrypts MIME using a specific PFX file (also known as PKCS12) as the source for any required certificates and private keys. (Note: .pfx and .p12 files are both PKCS12 format.)

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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Encrypt
Function Encrypt(ByVal cert As Cert) As Boolean

Encrypts the MIME to create PKCS7 encrypted MIME. A digital certificate (which always contains a public-key) is used to encrypt.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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EncryptN
Function EncryptN() As Boolean

Encrypt MIME using any number of digital certificates. Each certificate to be used must first be added by calling AddEncryptCert (once per certificate). See the example code below:

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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ExtractPartsToFiles
Function ExtractPartsToFiles(ByVal dirPath As String) As StringArray

Recursively descends through the parts of a MIME message and extracts all parts having a filename to a file. The files are created in dirPath. Returns a (Ck)StringArray object containing the names of the files created. The filenames are obtained from the "filename" attribute of the content-disposition header. If a filename does not exist, then the MIME part is not saved to a file.

Returns Nothing on failure

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FindIssuer
Function FindIssuer(ByVal cert As Cert) As Cert

Finds and returns the issuer certificate. If the certificate is a root or self-issued, then the certificate returned is a copy of the caller certificate.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetBodyBd
Function GetBodyBd(ByVal binDat As BinData) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.67

Returns the body of the MIME message in a BinData object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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GetBodyBinary
Function GetBodyBinary() As Byte()

Returns the body of the MIME message as a block of binary data. The body is automatically converted from its encoding type, such as base64 or quoted-printable, before being returned.

Returns an empty byte array on failure

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GetBodyDecoded
Function GetBodyDecoded() As String

Returns the body of the MIME message as a string. The body is automatically converted from its encoding type, such as base64 or quoted-printable, before being returned.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetBodyEncoded
Function GetBodyEncoded() As String

Returns the body of the MIME message as a String. The body is explicitly not decoded from it's encoding type, so if it was represented in Base64, you will get the Base64 encoded body, as an example.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetEncryptCert
Function GetEncryptCert(ByVal index As Integer) As Cert

Returns the Nth certificate found when decrypting. The EncryptCerts property contains the number of certificates.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetEntireBody
Function GetEntireBody() As String

Returns the entire MIME body, including all sub-parts.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetEntireHead
Function GetEntireHead() As String

Returns the MIME header.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetHeaderField
Function GetHeaderField(ByVal fieldName As String) As String

Returns the value of a MIME header field. fieldName is case-insensitive.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetHeaderFieldAttribute
Function GetHeaderFieldAttribute(ByVal name As String, ByVal attrName As String) As String

Parses a MIME header field and returns the value of an attribute. MIME header fields w/ attributes are formatted like this:

Header-Name:  value;  attrName1="value1"; attrName2="value2"; ....  attrNameN="valueN"
Semi-colons separate attribute name=value pairs. The Content-Type header field often contains attributes. Here is an example:
Content-Type: multipart/signed;
	protocol="application/x-pkcs7-signature";
	micalg=SHA1;
	boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01CB03E4.D0BAF010"
In the above example, to access the value of the "protocol" attribute, call GetHeaderFieldAttribute("Content-Type", "protocol");

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetHeaderFieldName
Function GetHeaderFieldName(ByVal index As Integer) As String

Returns the Nth MIME header field name.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetHeaderFieldValue
Function GetHeaderFieldValue(ByVal index As Integer) As String

Returns the Nth MIME header field value.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetMime
Function GetMime() As String

Returns a string containing the complete MIME message, including all sub-parts.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetMimeBd
Function GetMimeBd(ByVal bindat As BinData) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Appends the MIME to a BinData object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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GetMimeBytes
Function GetMimeBytes() As Byte()

Returns a byte array containing the complete MIME message, including all sub-parts.

Returns an empty byte array on failure

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GetMimeSb
Function GetMimeSb(ByVal sb As StringBuilder) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Appends the MIME to a StringBuilder object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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GetPart
Function GetPart(ByVal index As Integer) As Mime

Returns the Nth sub-part of the MIME message. Indexing begins at 0.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetSignatureSigningTimeStr
Function GetSignatureSigningTimeStr(ByVal index As Integer) As String

The same as the GetSignatureSigningTime method, but returns tjhe date/time in RFC822 string format.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetSignerCert
Function GetSignerCert(ByVal index As Integer) As Cert

Returns the Nth digital certificate used to sign the MIME message. Indexing begins at 0.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetSignerCertChain
Function GetSignerCertChain(ByVal index As Integer) As CertChain
Introduced in version 9.5.0.40

Returns the full certificate chain for the Nth certificate used to sign the MIME message. Indexing begins at 0.

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetStructure
Function GetStructure(ByVal fmt As String) As String
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Returns a string summarizing the MIME structure. The output format is specified by fmt and can be "text" or "xml".

Returns Nothing on failure

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GetXml
Function GetXml() As String

Converts the MIME (or S/MIME) message to XML and returns the XML as a string.

Returns Nothing on failure

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HasSignatureSigningTime
Function HasSignatureSigningTime(ByVal index As Integer) As Boolean

Returns True if the Nth signature included a timestamp that recorded the signing time. The number of signatures (i.e. signer certs) is indicated by the NumSignerCerts property. (In most cases, the number of signer certs is 1.) The signing time can be obtained via the GetSignatureSigningTime or GetSignatureSigningTimeStr methods. The index of the 1st signature signing time is 0.

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IsApplicationData
Function IsApplicationData() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message contains application data, otherwise returns False.

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IsAttachment
Function IsAttachment() As Boolean

Return True if this MIME message is an attachment, otherwise returns False. A MIME message is considered an attachment if the Content-Disposition header field contains the value "attachment".

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IsAudio
Function IsAudio() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message contains audio data, otherwise returns False.

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IsEncrypted
Function IsEncrypted() As Boolean

Returns True if the MIME message is PKCS7 encrypted, otherwise returns False.

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IsHtml
Function IsHtml() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME body is HTML, otherwise returns False.

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IsImage
Function IsImage() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message contains image data, otherwise returns False.

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IsMultipart
Function IsMultipart() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message is multipart (multipart/mixed, multipart/related, multipart/alternative, etc.), otherwise returns False.

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IsMultipartAlternative
Function IsMultipartAlternative() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message is multipart/alternative, otherwise returns False.

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IsMultipartMixed
Function IsMultipartMixed() As Boolean

Return true if the MIME message is multipart/mixed, otherwise returns False.

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IsMultipartRelated
Function IsMultipartRelated() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message is multipart/related, otherwise returns False.

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IsPlainText
Function IsPlainText() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message body is plain text, otherwise returns False.

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IsSigned
Function IsSigned() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message is PKCS7 digitally signed, otherwise returns False.

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IsText
Function IsText() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message body is any text content type, such as text/plain, text/html, text/xml, etc., otherwise returns False.

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IsVideo
Function IsVideo() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message contains video data, otherwise returns False.

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IsXml
Function IsXml() As Boolean

Return True if the MIME message body is XML, otherwise returns False.

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LastJsonData
Function LastJsonData() As JsonObject
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Provides information about what transpired in the last method called on this object instance. For many methods, there is no information. However, for some methods, details about what occurred can be obtained by getting the LastJsonData right after the method call returns. For example, after calling UnwrapSecurity, the LastJsonData will return JSON with details about the algorithms used for signature verification and decryption.

Returns Nothing on failure

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LoadMime
Function LoadMime(ByVal mimeMsg As String) As Boolean

Discards the current contents of the MIME object and loads a new MIME message from a string.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadMimeBd
Function LoadMimeBd(ByVal bindat As BinData) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Discards the current contents of the MIME object and loads a new MIME message from a BinData object.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadMimeBytes
Function LoadMimeBytes(ByVal binData As Byte()) As Boolean

Loads a MIME document from an in-memory byte array.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadMimeFile
Function LoadMimeFile(ByVal fileName As String) As Boolean

Discards the current contents of the MIME object and loads a new MIME message from a file.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadMimeSb
Function LoadMimeSb(ByVal sb As StringBuilder) As Boolean
Introduced in version 9.5.0.62

Discards the current contents of the MIME object and loads a new MIME message from a StringBuilder.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadXml
Function LoadXml(ByVal xml As String) As Boolean

Converts XML to MIME and replaces the MIME object's contents with the converted XML.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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LoadXmlFile
Function LoadXmlFile(ByVal fileName As String) As Boolean

Converts XML to MIME and replaces the MIME object's contents with the converted XML.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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NewMessageRfc822
Function NewMessageRfc822(ByVal mimeObject As Mime) As Boolean

Clears the Mime object and initializes it such that the header contains a "content-type: message/rfc822" line and the body is the MIME text of the Mime object passed to the method.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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NewMultipartAlternative
Function NewMultipartAlternative() As Boolean

Discards the current MIME message header fields and contents, if any, an initializes the MIME object to be an empty mulipart/alternative message.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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NewMultipartMixed
Function NewMultipartMixed() As Boolean

Discards the current MIME message header fields and contents, if any, an initializes the MIME object to be an empty mulipart/mixed message.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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NewMultipartRelated
Function NewMultipartRelated() As Boolean

Discards the current MIME message header fields and contents, if any, an initializes the MIME object to be an empty mulipart/related message.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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RemoveHeaderField
Sub RemoveHeaderField(ByVal fieldName As String, ByVal bAllOccurrences As Boolean)

Removes a header field from the MIME header. If bAllOccurrences is True, then all occurrences of the header field are removed. Otherwise, only the 1st occurrence is removed.

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RemovePart
Function RemovePart(ByVal index As Integer) As Boolean

Removes the Nth subpart from the MIME message.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SaveBody
Function SaveBody(ByVal filename As String) As Boolean

Saves the MIME message body to a file. If the body is base64 or quoted-printable encoded, it is automatically decoded.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SaveMime
Function SaveMime(ByVal filename As String) As Boolean

Saves the MIME message to a file, in MIME format. (This is the same as the .EML format used by Microsoft Outlook Express.)

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SaveXml
Function SaveXml(ByVal filename As String) As Boolean

Converts the MIME message to XML and saves to an XML file.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetBody
Sub SetBody(ByVal str As String)

Sets the MIME body content to a text string.

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SetBodyFromBinary
Function SetBodyFromBinary(ByVal binData As Byte()) As Boolean

Sets the MIME message body from a byte array.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetBodyFromEncoded
Function SetBodyFromEncoded(ByVal encoding As String, ByVal str As String) As Boolean

Sets the MIME message body from a Base64 or Quoted-Printable encoded string.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetBodyFromFile
Function SetBodyFromFile(ByVal fileName As String) As Boolean

Sets the MIME message body from the contents of a file. Note: A MIME message consists of a header and a body. The body may itself be a MIME message that consists of a header and body, etc. This method loads the contents of a file into the body of a MIME message, without replacing the header.

The Content-Type and Content-Transfer-Encoding header fields are automatically updated to match the type of content loaded (based on file extension). If your application requires the MIME to have a specific Content-Type and/or Content-Transfer-Encoding, set the ContentType and Encoding properties after calling this method (not before).

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetBodyFromHtml
Function SetBodyFromHtml(ByVal str As String) As Boolean

Sets the MIME message body from a string containing HTML. The Content-Type header is added or updated to the value "text/html".

If 8bit (non-us-ascii) characters are present, and if the Charset property was not previously set, then the "charset" attribute is automatically added to the Content-Type header using the default value of "utf-8". This can be changed at any time by setting the Charset property.

If the Encoding property was not previously set, then the Content-Transfer-Encoding header is automatically added. It will be set to "7bit" or "8bit" depending on whether the HTML body contains 8-bit non-us-ascii characters.

To set the MIME body with no intentional side-effects, use SetBody instead.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetBodyFromPlainText
Function SetBodyFromPlainText(ByVal str As String) As Boolean

Sets the MIME message body from a string containing plain-text. The Content-Type header is added or updated to the value "text/plain".

If 8bit (non-us-ascii) characters are present, and if the Charset property was not previously set, then the "charset" attribute is automatically added to the Content-Type header using the default value of "utf-8". This can be changed at any time by setting the Charset property.

If the Encoding property was not previously set, then the Content-Transfer-Encoding header is automatically added. It will be set to "7bit" or "8bit" depending on whether the plain-text body contains 8-bit non-us-ascii characters.

To set the MIME body with no intentional side-effects, use SetBody instead.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetBodyFromXml
Function SetBodyFromXml(ByVal str As String) As Boolean

Sets the MIME message body from a string containing XML. The Content-Type header is added or updated to the value "text/xml".

If 8bit (non-us-ascii) characters are present, and if the Charset property was not previously set, then the "charset" attribute is automatically added to the Content-Type header using the default value of "utf-8". This can be changed at any time by setting the Charset property.

If the Encoding property was not previously set, then the Content-Transfer-Encoding header is automatically added. It will be set to "7bit" or "8bit" depending on whether the plain-text body contains 8-bit non-us-ascii characters.

To set the MIME body with no intentional side-effects, use SetBody instead.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetHeaderField
Function SetHeaderField(ByVal name As String, ByVal value As String) As Boolean

Adds or replaces a MIME message header field. If the field already exists, it is automatically replaced. Otherwise it is added. Pass zero-length value to remove the header field.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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SetVerifyCert
Function SetVerifyCert(ByVal cert As Cert) As Boolean

Allows a certificate to be explicitly specified for verifying a signature.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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UnwrapSecurity
Function UnwrapSecurity() As Boolean

Decrypts and/or verifies all digital signatures contained within the MIME message, and returns True if all decryptions and verifications succeeded. Otherwise returns False. After unwrapping, the information regarding security and certificates can be obtained by the methods GetSignerCert and GetEncryptCert, and the properties NumEncryptCerts and NumSignerCerts.

The MIME is restored to the original structure/content prior to all signing and/or encryption.

The difference between UnwrapSecurity and methods such as Verify or Decrypt is that UnwrapSecurity will recursively traverse the MIME to decrypt and/or verify all parts. Also, UnwrapSecurity will unwrap layers until no further encrypted/signed content is found. For example, if a MIME message was encrypted and then subsequently signed, then UnwrapSecurity will verify and unwrap the detached signature/signed-data layer, and then decrypt the "enveloped data".

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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UrlEncodeBody
Sub UrlEncodeBody(ByVal charset As String)

URL encodes the MIME body. The charset is important. For example, consider this MIME:

Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Société
If the charset is set to "utf-8", then the following is produced:
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9
However, if the charset is set to "ansi", then the following is the result:
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Soci%E9t%E9

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UseCertVault
Function UseCertVault(ByVal vault As XmlCertVault) As Boolean

Adds an XML certificate vault to the object's internal list of sources to be searched for certificates and private keys when encrypting/decrypting or signing/verifying. Unlike the AddPfxSourceData and AddPfxSourceFile methods, only a single XML certificate vault can be used. If UseCertVault is called multiple times, only the last certificate vault will be used, as each call to UseCertVault will replace the certificate vault provided in previous calls.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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Verify
Function Verify() As Boolean

Verifies PKCS7 signed MIME and "unwraps" the signature. The MIME is restored to the original structure that it would have originally had prior to signing. The Verify method works with both detached signatures, as well as opaque/attached signatures.

A PKCS7 signature usually embeds both the signing certificate with its public key. Therefore, it is usually possible to verify a signature without the need to already have the certificate installed. If the signature does not embed the certificate, the Verify method will automatically locate and use the certificate if it was correctly pre-installed on the computer.

Returns True for success, False for failure.

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