SocketTools ActiveX Edition Controls

The WebStorage control provides private cloud storage for uploading and downloading shared data files which are available to your application. This is primarily intended for use by developers to store configuration information and other data generated by the application. For example, you may want to store certain application settings, and the next time a user or organization installs your software, those settings can be downloaded and restored.

The DnsClient control enables applications to resolve domain names into Internet addresses using the Domain Name Service (DNS) protocol. It can also provide other information about a domain, such as the name of the mail servers which are responsible for receiving e-mail for users in that domain. This control can be used to query one or more specific nameservers directly, without depending on the default DNS configuration of the local system.

The FileEncoder control provides methods for encoding and decoding binary files, compressing and encrypting data. Data encryption uses AES-256 and the encryption keys are generated using SHA-256. Encoding converts the contents of a compressed and/or encrypted file to printable text. Decoding reverses the process, converting a previously encoded text file back into its original form. The control supports a number of different encoding methods, including support for the base64, uucode, quoted-printable and yEnc algorithms.

The FtpClient control provides methods for uploading and downloading files from a remote host, as well as a variety of remote file management methods using the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). In addition to file transfers, an application can create, rename and delete files and directories, list files and search for files using wildcards. The control provides high level methods, such as the ability to transfer multiple files in a single method call, as well as access to lower level remote file I/O methods. Both standard and secure file transfers are supported using SSH (SFTP), SSL and TLS (FTPS).

The FtpServer control implements a complete event-driven FTP server that can be embedded in your application. It can be used to provide direct access to files, as well as serve as a remote management mechanism using a standard protocol that is widely supported. The server control supports both standard and secure connections using SSL and TLS. It also provides advanced features such as user isolation, local authentication and support for the SITE EXEC command to allow the execution of external programs and scripts.

The WebLocation control provides geographical information about the physical location of the computer system based on its external IP address. This can enable developers to know where their application is being used, and provide convenience functionality such as automatically completing a form based on the location of the user.

The HttpClient control provides an interface for accessing documents and other resources on a server using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). In some ways it is similar to the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) in that it can be used to upload and download files; however, the protocol has expanded to also support remote file management, script execution and distributed authoring over the World Wide Web. The control implements version 0.9, 1.0 and 1.1 of the protocol, including features such as support for proxy servers, persistent connections, user-defined header fields and chunked data. Both standard and secure connections are supported using SSL and TLS (HTTPS).

The HttpServer control implements an event-driven HTTP server that can be embedded in your application. It can be used to provide your software with a web interface that is directly under the control of your software, without depending on a third-party installation of a web server such as IIS or Apache. You can use the control to enable users to manage the application remotely, perform administrative tasks or access data that is dynamically generated by the application. The server control supports both standard and secure connections using SSL and TLS, along with features such as virtual folders, local user authentication and support for CGI programs and scripting languages like VBScript.

The IcmpClient control implements the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and can be used to check if a system is reachable or determine how packets of data are routed to that system. Users are most familiar with this protocol as it is implemented in the ping and tracert command line utilities. The control can be used to build in this type of functionality in your own applications, giving you the ability to send and receive ICMP echo datagrams in order to perform your own analysis.

The Dialer control enables an application to connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Using this control, an application can discover what devices and remote networks are available, and manage those connections. Existing connections can be monitored, new connections created and a single control can be used to manage multiple connections. This control provides your application with complete control over the process of connecting to a service provider or VPN, monitoring that connection and then terminating that connection if needed.

The ImapClient control is used to access a user’s e-mail messages which are stored on a mail server using the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). Unlike the Post Office Protocol (POP3) where messages are downloaded and processed on the local system, the messages on an IMAP server are retained on the server and processed remotely. This is ideal for users who need access to a centralized store of messages or have limited bandwidth. For example, traveling salesmen who have notebook computers or mobile users on a wireless network would be ideal candidates for using IMAP. The control provides methods to retrieve messages, or just certain parts of a message, create and manage mailboxes, and search for specific messages based on certain criteria. The control supports both standard and secure connections using SSL and TLS.

The MailMessage control provides an interface for composing and processing e-mail messages and newsgroup articles which are structured according to the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) standard. Using this control, an application can easily create complex messages which include multiple alternative content types, such as plain text and styled HTML text, file attachments and customized headers. It is not required that the developer understand the complex MIME standard; a single method call can be used to create a multipart message, complete with a styled HTML text body and support for international character sets. The Mail Message control can be easily integrated with the other mail related protocol controls, making it extremely easy to create and process MIME formatted messages.

The NntpClient control is used to access servers that provide news services using the Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP). This is similar in functionality to bulletin boards or message boards, where topics are organized hierarchically into groups, called newsgroups. Users can browse and search for messages, called news articles, which have been posted by other users. On many servers, they can also post their own articles which can be read by others. The largest collection of public newsgroups available is called USENET, a world-wide distributed discussion system.

The control provides a comprehensive interface for accessing newsgroups, retrieving articles and posting new articles. In combination with the MailMessage control to process the news articles, it can be used to integrate newsgroup access with an existing e-mail application, or you can implement your own full-featured newsgroup client. The control supports both standard and secure connections using SSL and TLS.

The PopClient control provides access to a user’s new e-mail messages on a mail server using the Post Office Protocol v3 (POP3). Methods are provided for listing available messages and then retrieving those messages, storing them either in files or in memory. Once a user’s messages have been downloaded to the local system, they are typically removed from the server. This is the most common e-mail protocol used by Internet Service Providers and the control provides a complete interface for managing a user’s mailbox. It is typically used in conjunction with the MailMessage control, which can be used to process the messages that are retrieved from the server. The control supports both standard and secure connections using SSL and TLS.

The RshClient control is used to execute commands on a server and return the output of that command to the client. This is most commonly used with UNIX based servers, although there are implementations of remote command servers for the Windows operating system. The control supports both the rcmd and rshell remote execution protocols and provides methods which can be used to search the data stream for specific sequences of characters. This makes it extremely easy to write Windows applications which serve as light-weight client interfaces to commands being executed on a UNIX server or another Windows system. The control can also be used to establish a remote terminal session using the rlogin protocol, which is similar to the Telnet protocol. It should be noted that these protocols are not considered secure, and should only be used over a trusted local network. For secure access to a remote server, it is recommended that you use the SshClient control.

The SmtpClient control enables applications to deliver e-mail messages to one or more recipients using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). The control provides an interface for addressing and delivering messages, and extended features such as user authentication and delivery status notification. Messages can be delivered directly to the recipient, or they can be routed through a relay server, such as a service provider's mail system. In combination with the MailMessage control, it provides an extremely simple, yet flexible interface for composing and delivering mail messages. This control supports both standard and secure connections using SSL and TLS.

The SocketWrench control provides a higher-level interface to the native sockets control, enabling developers to easily incorporate Internet functionality in their applications. It supports both the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP), can be used to create both client and server applications, and provides support for secure connections using SSL and TLS. With SocketWrench you can implement your own custom protocols and easily connect to other services.

The SshClient control enables an application to establish a secure connection to a server using the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol and either execute commands or begin an interactive terminal session. SSH is commonly used for remote logins where users interact with the server using a command-line interface, or to access a control interface for devices such as routers. It can also be used to execute commands remotely, returning the output back to the application. The control supports both the SSH-1 and SSH-2 protocols, and can be used in conjunction with the Terminal component, which provides ANSI and DEC VT terminal emulation for interactive sessions.

-The TelnetClient control is used to establish a connection with a server using the TELNET protocol, which provides a virtual terminal session for a user. Its functionality is similar to how character based consoles and serial terminals work, enabling a user to login to the server, execute commands and interact with applications running on the remote host. The control provides an interface for establishing the connection, negotiating certain options (such as whether characters will be echoed back to the client) and handling the standard I/O functions needed by the program. It can be combined with the Terminalcomponent to provide complete terminal emulation services for a standard ANSI or DEC-VT terminal. This control supports both standard and secure connections using SSL and TLS. For secure connections using the SSH protocol, applications should use the SshClient control.

The Terminal component provides a comprehensive interface for emulating an ANSI or DEC-VT100/220/320 character terminal, with full support for all standard escape and control sequences, color mapping and other advanced features. The control methods provide both a high level interface for parsing escape sequences and updating a display, as well as lower level primitives for directly managing the virtual display, such as controlling the individual display cells, moving the cursor position and specifying display attributes. Typically, this component is used in conjunction with the SshClient or TelnetClient controls to provide terminal emulation services for an application.

The WhoisClient control provides an interface for requesting information about an Internet domain name using the WHOIS protocol. When a domain name is registered, the organization that registers the domain must provide certain contact information along with technical information such as the primary name servers for that domain. This control can be used to request that information and return it to the application so that it can be displayed or processed