PCT File Manager for HP-48SX

[rprosperi]

Does anyone have a copy of PCT v5.56S (or later) they can share?

PCT was an early File Manager for the 48 series, written by Marc Vogel and Régis Duchesne, 2 of the early masters of 48 sysRPL and Saturn code. Although frequently mistaken for and called “PC Tools” (a popular DOS File Manager at the time), according to the authors, PCT stood for Port Control Tools. The 5.XYS versions were for the 48S/SX and the 5.XYG versions were for the 48G/G+/GX; they were not the same and could not be used on alternate platforms.

The latest version available for the S/SX on hplcalc.org is 5.55S, which does work, however this version has several problems, for example at startup, it does not scan for files, showing the starting location (either a PORT or VARS) as being empty. Toggling with [->] twice will refresh the list, but it should not be needed, all other versions work properly.

According to a post in comp.sys.hp48 on 950906 by Régis Duchesne, there was a version v5.56S released, but I’ve not been able to locate a copy.

So, does anyone have a copy of PCT v5.56S (or later) they can share?

In a related request, does anyone have documentation on PCT’s use of flags?

Reading the comp.sys.hp48 archives reveals that PCT employed USER flags extensively to control its behavior, but none of the actual usage is documented there. An example I’ve found is after running PCT, USER flags 9 & 11 will be set, even if manually cleared beforehand. Also, there is a post saying PCT will display hidden files only if a particular flag is set. Limited testing with setting flags randomly/experimentally has led to mem lost, so I’m looking for something better.

Any files as requested, tips or even links to resources would be appreciated.