Set-SecretStoreConfiguration PasswordRequired unintuitive

[ThomasNieto]

In order to set PasswordRequired to false requires using the unintuitive syntax for switch parameters of -PasswordRequired:$false. Can this parameter be updated to use two different switches as described in #20? Most beginner/immediate PowerShell users won't know that the -PasswordRequired:$false syntax exists. The other issue comes if NoPasswordRequired is used then a double negative has to be use to get the default value -NoPasswordRequired:$false causing user confusion.

PS C:\> Set-SecretStoreConfiguration -PasswordRequired

Confirm
Are you sure you want to perform this action?
Performing the operation "Changes local store configuration" on target "SecretStore module local store".
[Y] Yes  [A] Yes to All  [N] No  [L] No to All  [S] Suspend  [?] Help (default is "Y"): y

      Scope PasswordRequired PasswordTimeout DoNotPrompt
      ----- ---------------- --------------- -----------
CurrentUser             True             900       False

PS C:\> Set-SecretStoreConfiguration -PasswordRequired:$false

Confirm
Are you sure you want to perform this action?
Performing the operation "Changes local store configuration" on target "SecretStore module local store".
[Y] Yes  [A] Yes to All  [N] No  [L] No to All  [S] Suspend  [?] Help (default is "Y"): y
Vault Microsoft.PowerShell.SecretStore requires a password.
Enter password:
****
A password is no longer required for the local store configuration.
To complete the change please provide the current password.
Enter password:
****

      Scope PasswordRequired PasswordTimeout DoNotPrompt
      ----- ---------------- --------------- -----------
CurrentUser            False             900       False

[PaulHigin]

This is done on purpose. Removing password required lowers security, so we want to make it a little bit difficult. Default is to always require a password.

[ThomasNieto]

Making it difficult through a bad syntax is not more secure, its just bad user experience...

[PaulHigin]

Hmm, good point. Using boolean parameters is against PowerShell best practices. So I think the switch should be '-NoPasswordRequired'. Default is to require a password, so the switch is only used to turn it off. That seems like a better user experience.

[ThomasNieto]

In #20 @rkeithhill had the suggestion of having two switch parameters, one to enable and the other to disable. There should be a way to turn it on and off without having to set all the settings back to default.

[PaulHigin]

Having two switches seems like an overkill to me. I think -NoPasswordRequired works since default behavior is always password required.

[ThomasNieto]

If a user disables passwords and then decides that's a bad idea. How do they turn it back on without resetting the timeout or other settings?

[PaulHigin]

-NoPasswordRequired:$false This feels like nit picking to me. But I'll mark this for committee review so it can get resolved.

[PaulHigin]

Also '-NoPasswordRequired' feels consistent with the existing '-DoNotPrompt'. Default is password and prompting, and we have switches to change default behavior. But will let committee decided.

[ThomasNieto]

My intention is not to nitpick but to give my perspective. I'll expand my reasoning for yourself and the committee so they can better understand where I'm coming from. I also cc'd some other community members to hear their opinion since this is a brand new repo and they probably haven't seen it yet.

In my experience, with built-in cmdlets and community modules, a switch parameter is an opt-in way to change a specific default behavior on a cmdlet for a single execution. The switch parameter behaves the same way if not passed or set to false. This is because the switch parameter is designed to only change the one default behavior in the opposite way. The proposed design has the switch parameter behave differently when passed/true or false. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not aware of any other built-in cmdlets that behave this way other than with preference variables. But that is more of a side effect of an issue rather than a standard use case: PowerShell/PowerShell#4568.

Switch parameters usually only modify the current execution of the cmdlet with no impact to future executions. Since this switch parameter sets a persistent configuration item, it changes the syntax and difficulty of reverting the behavior. For example, Set-SecretStoreConfiguration -NoPasswordRequired is the intended way to use the switch parameter, but if the user wants to make passwords required the syntax is more complex Set-SecretStoreConfiguration -NoPasswordRequired:$false not to mention a double negative is confusing. To enable or disable the feature, the user experience should be the same level of syntax difficulty. Since setting false to a switch parameter is such an uncommon practice, most beginner and intermediate PowerShell users may not even know it exists. The help system command syntax also does not indicate that passing false to a switch is a valid option further reducing visibility.

So that's my $0.02 😄 I welcome any thoughts or ideas you may have.

cc: @vexx32, @mklement0, @iSazonov, @rkeithhill

[vexx32]

Some thoughts:

If we have to have a unique parameter for every configurable option that inevitably leads to parameter bloat. IMO this is not a good pattern to continue.

An alternative would be to have the cmdlet take a -Name value to target a specific setting and a -Value parameter to set that (a completer can be added for convenience for names and/or values). If one wants to set multiple configuration values at once, the cmdlet should take a hashtable of names and values and apply each named setting, writing errors for those that don't exist.

The corresponding Get-* cmdlet can just take a -Name as well to retrieve specific named setting(s) if needed.

---

Additionally, if this is a sufficiently distinct option that can in itself be considered a bit of a security hazard to enable, I would move this particular configuration option to a completely separate cmdlet, and explicitly prevent setting it with the standard cmdlet. Write an error if they try.

So, create two small cmdlets for Enable/Disable-SecretStoreRequirePassword that by default prompt via ShouldProcess() (ConfirmImpact set to High). This lets users know "hey you DO need to think twice about this" and also allows them to override it with -Confirm:$false or -Force (that's if you choose to implement a separate -Force switch; I have other opinions about this and think this is an inconsistent and fundamentally unclear pattern, but that's another topic).

[SydneyhSmith]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts after more consideration @ThomasNieto you make a great point that since this is a Set cmdlet it makes more sense to have as a boolean parameter

[PaulHigin]

I agree. It makes sense for this 'set' cmdlet for individual properties. I'll leave this marked for committee review in case they want to veto, but otherwise will move forward with the changes.

[vexx32]

Boolean parameters are the one thing that if they're ever mentioned, the design needs a rethink.

Please don't.

[iSazonov]

See Enabled switch in Set-ADUser
I mean the UX is popular.
My thoughts:

• we should have good/right default
• we should have good help.
  Today users work with dozens of modules and hundreds of cmdlets - it is not possible to remember all the names and parameters. So the user will most likely do help Set-SecretStoreConfiguration -Examples, and if he/she sees examples of how to turn it on and off the feature, then this will be good UX and what we need.