PTTKiller

This is the forbidden fruit of TI-Nspire development. The holy grail of the thoughtless cheat and the bane of the dev community. So bad that it was nicknamed "Nspire Community Killer". It's name is PTTKiller.

Push-to-Test (PTT) is the TI-Nspire's equivalent of a memory clear on traditional graphing calculators. It also locks some advanced functions and makes documents inaccessible. An LED light tells educators that PTT is activated. It can only be turned off with another Nspire or a computer.

However, PTT is laughably insecure and extremely easy to beat. It still allows programs and files to be opened. With Ndless activated, all it takes is just moving a folder beforehand to defeat it.

To deter the knowledgeless cheat and stay on TI's good side, we only provide a description of such a tool, not a finished product. Like a guide to make a gun rather than the gun itself. You're going to have to be serious and learn Ndless programming before you can use PTTKiller.

Method

Under PTT, it is still possible to run programs and documents; they just need to be transferred first. Under normal circumstances, a teacher would use a computer to send a useful document to the calculator. The document is therefore stored in the hidden /exammode/ directory.

What a PTTKiller would do is copy a folder from normal documents to the exammode beforehand, without the use of a computer.

// Moves the "ptt" folder to beat PTT
rename("/documents/ptt", "/exammode/usr/ptt");

Oddly, functions in libraries don't work, whether PTTCopier is used or not. The first library opened will have functions working normally, but after that one is closed, no other library will have usable functions. However, all other programs and documents are unaffected.

Extending

Of course, this is a bit basic. We do need some sort of GUI.

Implementations of PTTKiller

These are historic programs and downloads are not shared anywhere.

• PTTCopier - This application defeats Push-to-Test by making available any files from a ptt folder under My Documents when PTT is enabled.
  • Originally created by RobbeP.
  • One flaw is that files designed to be compatible with the MyLib folder have all their functions disabled once one of those filled have been opened. However, regular documents without such features work without issues.
  • Another thing to note is that PTTCopier does not actually kill PTT, it only makes files available. Thus, calculator functions disabled by your teacher will not be enabled until PTT is turned off.
• Hidemanager