Question

I am using PC-Lint for my C++ project.
Is there a way to switch off all error and warning messages by default, so I can then reintroduce the required messages explicitly?

I have read the chapter of the PC-Lint manual entitled “Error Inhibition Options” and the best I could find was setting the wLevel to -w0 No messages (except for fatal errors)

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible, you can simply use -e* or -w0. However, the manual truly states (Chapter 16. Living with Lint):

DO NOT simply suppress all warnings with something
like: -e* or -w0 as this can disguise hard errors and make subsequent diagnosis very difficult.

So, yes, you can use it if your code is basically cleaned, and you want to review recent changes for a certain set of messages. But if you want to start cleaning your code, and are swamped with messages because of the default warning level -w3, I suggest to start using -w1, and resolve all issues there; most of the warnings/errors given at level one indicate problems with finding all header files, having al implicit macros set properly, and/or mimicking the compiler you use normally in a sufficiently precise way.

As always, I hesitate to advertise my own work, but if you want, take a look at my “How to wield PC Lint” PDF, where I have documented detailed instructions to handle the initial deployment of PC Lint and tackling the many warnings/errors/infos/notes you may be buried under.