File Content Extraction 26.1
Filter SDK Python Programming Guide

# Extract Protected Container Files

This section describes how to extract container files that are protected with a password or require other types of credentials.

The following guidelines apply to specific file types.

- Lotus Notes NSF files. If you are running a Notes client with an active user connected to a Domino server, you must specify the user’s password as a credential regardless of whether the NSF files you are opening are protected. This enables File Content Extraction to access the Notes client and the Lotus Notes API. If the Notes client is not running with an active user, the password is not required.
- PST files. To open password-protected PST files that use high encryption (Microsoft Outlook 2003 only), you must use the MAPI-based PST reader (`pstsr`). The native PST reader (`pstxsr`) does not support files that use high encryption and returns the error `KVERR_PasswordProtected` if a PST file is encrypted with high encryption.

To supply credentials for opening protected container files

- In the Python API, call the `credentials` method on your session configuration. This provides credentials for the session rather than a single file, but you can supply multiple sets of credentials, and the credentials can be of multiple types.

  For example, to supply a password for extracting subfiles from a password-protected zip file, you might use the following code:

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      credentials = [ (kv.CredentialKeyType.Password, "secret123") ]

      session.config.credentials(credentials)

  To remove all credentials from the session configuration, call the `unset_credentials` method:

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      session.config.unset_credentials()

  When you attempt to open a protected container file, but do not provide any credentials through the `credentials` method, File Content Extraction will attempt to use any credentials provided through the `password` method (see Filter Password Protected Files).

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Version 26.1 | Last updated January 2026

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Product: File Content Extraction 26.1

Topic Title: Extract Protected Container Files