Azure-docs: Interactive section is missing in "How each flow emits tokens and codes"

[manikandantk88]

How each flow emits tokens and codes
Could you please add details for interactive

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Document Details

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• ID: 4f8c12ad-ea7f-5b0a-2322-582720ee76fc
• Version Independent ID: 443d54f7-5ffa-444a-c757-1348fb1ca948
• Content: MSAL authentication flows - Microsoft identity platform
• Content Source: articles/active-directory/develop/msal-authentication-flows.md
• Service: active-directory
• Sub-service: develop
• GitHub Login: @mmacy
• Microsoft Alias: marsma

[shashishailaj]

@manikandantk88 Thank you for your feedback . We will investigate and update the thread.

[mmacy]

@manikandantk88 Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It's not currently clear from that section's heading, but "interactive" as it's referred to here is relating more to _interactive_ versus _silent_ login--whether the user is (or is not) prompted to sign in--as opposed to a type of token grant flow.

I'm going to leave this one open for now until I/we get a chance to add some clarification, or even perhaps move this section to the Acquire and cache tokens using MSAL doc.

Cc: @hpsin

[manikandantk88]

Interactive has been mentioned one of the authentication flows like authorization code, Implicit Flow etc. In this section, "How each flow emits tokens and codes", tablet column list out token, refresh token, authorization code details etc. In case interactive, how the flow emits token is missing.

As a Mobile Developer, I couldn't know how the token is refreshed once the token validity is expired. Whether it is session based or refresh token based, I was not clear.

One more thing, As per my understanding Interactive flow uses Authorization Code with PKCE behind the scenes. This flow emits access/id token and refresh token. This is information is missing.

[hpsin]

Got it. "Interactive" is not a flow, it's just a description that applies to many flows. It just means that the user visited the login page in a browser and that prompt=none wasn't used, so that the user had a chance to interact with the page.

So the authorization code flow, in mobile development, is an "interactive" flow because the user interacts with the login page. When you use the refresh token from the auth code flow to get new access tokens, though, that's "non-interactive".

Same thing with the implicit flow - when you initially sign the user in by redirecting to the sign in page, that's interactive. When you use prompt=none to get a token silently in the background, that's non-interactive.

[mmacy]

Hi @manikandantk88, this issue will closed when the following PR has been merged. It modifies the article such that "interactive" does not incorrectly appear as a token grant flow.

@mmacy linked a pull request that will close this issue 6 days ago
[msid][issue] clarify 'interactive' is not a flow (57863) MicrosoftDocs/azure-docs-pr#121086

[manikandantk88]

Many Thanks