diff --git a/src/cppcheck.cpp b/src/cppcheck.cpp
index 7ab820ecd..9f767c759 100644
--- a/src/cppcheck.cpp
+++ b/src/cppcheck.cpp
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 //---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 CppCheck::CppCheck(ErrorLogger &errorLogger)
+        : ErrorLogger(errorLogger)
 {
     _errorLogger = &errorLogger;
 }
@@ -195,6 +196,12 @@ std::string CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
             }
         }
 
+        // Use visual studio compliant output format
+        else if (strcmp(argv[i], "--output-format=VS") == 0)
+        {
+            _settings._outputFormat = "file(line)";
+        }
+
         // auto deallocated classes..
         else if (strcmp(argv[i], "--auto-dealloc") == 0)
         {
@@ -294,6 +301,7 @@ std::string CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
         "                         several paths. First given path is checked first. If\n"
         "                         paths are relative to source files, this is not needed\n"
         "    -j [jobs]            Start [jobs] threads to do the checking simultaneously.\n"
+        "    --output-format=VS   Use Visual Studio compliant output format.\n"
         "    -q, --quiet          Only print error messages\n"
         "    -s, --style          Check coding style\n"
         "    --unused-functions   Check if there are unused functions\n"
@@ -324,6 +332,7 @@ std::string CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
 
 unsigned int CppCheck::check()
 {
+    _errorLogger->outputFormat(_settings._outputFormat);
     _checkUnusedFunctions.setErrorLogger(this);
     std::sort(_filenames.begin(), _filenames.end());
     for (unsigned int c = 0; c < _filenames.size(); c++)
@@ -455,7 +464,7 @@ Settings CppCheck::settings() const
 
 void CppCheck::reportErr(const ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage &msg)
 {
-    std::string errmsg = msg.toText();
+    std::string errmsg = toText(msg);
 
     // Alert only about unique errors
     if (std::find(_errorList.begin(), _errorList.end(), errmsg) != _errorList.end())
diff --git a/src/cppcheckexecutor.cpp b/src/cppcheckexecutor.cpp
index 3707b807d..f436804a2 100644
--- a/src/cppcheckexecutor.cpp
+++ b/src/cppcheckexecutor.cpp
@@ -112,6 +112,6 @@ void CppCheckExecutor::reportErr(const ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage &msg)
     }
     else
     {
-        reportErr(msg.toText());
+        reportErr(toText(msg));
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/errorlogger.cpp b/src/errorlogger.cpp
index e5c316075..f56998a1e 100644
--- a/src/errorlogger.cpp
+++ b/src/errorlogger.cpp
@@ -158,14 +158,14 @@ std::string ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage::toXML() const
     return xml.str();
 }
 
-std::string ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage::toText() const
+std::string ErrorLogger::toText(const ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage &msg) const
 {
     std::ostringstream text;
-    if (!_callStack.empty())
-        text << callStackToString(_callStack) << ": ";
-    if (!_severity.empty())
-        text << "(" << _severity << ") ";
-    text << _msg;
+    if (!msg._callStack.empty())
+        text << callStackToString(msg._callStack) << ": ";
+    if (!msg._severity.empty())
+        text << "(" << msg._severity << ") ";
+    text << msg._msg;
     return text.str();
 }
 
@@ -191,13 +191,30 @@ void ErrorLogger::_writemsg(const Tokenizer *tokenizer, const std::list<const To
 }
 
 
+static void replace(std::string &s, const std::string &s1, const std::string &s2)
+{
+    std::string::size_type pos = s.find(s1);
+    if (pos == std::string::npos)
+        return;
+    s.erase(pos, s1.length());
+    s.insert(pos, s2);
+}
 
 
-std::string ErrorLogger::callStackToString(const std::list<ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage::FileLocation> &callStack)
+std::string ErrorLogger::callStackToString(const std::list<ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage::FileLocation> &callStack) const
 {
     std::ostringstream ostr;
     for (std::list<ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage::FileLocation>::const_iterator tok = callStack.begin(); tok != callStack.end(); ++tok)
-        ostr << (tok == callStack.begin() ? "" : " -> ") << "[" << (*tok).getfile() << ":" << (*tok).line << "]";
+    {
+        if (tok != callStack.begin())
+            ostr << " -> ";
+        std::string s = _outputFormat;
+        replace(s, "file", (*tok).getfile());
+        std::ostringstream line;
+        line << (*tok).line;
+        replace(s, "line", line.str());
+        ostr << s;
+    }
     return ostr.str();
 }
 
diff --git a/src/errorlogger.h b/src/errorlogger.h
index 8232118ca..d6a81bbaa 100644
--- a/src/errorlogger.h
+++ b/src/errorlogger.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ public:
         static std::string getXMLHeader();
         static std::string getXMLFooter();
 
-        std::string toText() const;
+        //std::string toText() const;
         std::string serialize() const;
         bool deserialize(const std::string &data);
         std::list<FileLocation> _callStack;
@@ -72,9 +72,17 @@ public:
         std::string _id;
     };
 
-    ErrorLogger() { }
+    ErrorLogger() : _outputFormat("[file:line]") { }
     virtual ~ErrorLogger() { }
 
+    /** Change the output format */
+    void outputFormat(const std::string &of)
+    {
+        _outputFormat = of;
+    }
+
+    std::string toText(const ErrorMessage &msg) const;
+
     /**
      * Information about progress is directed here.
      * Override this to receive the progress messages.
@@ -334,10 +342,12 @@ public:
     }
 
 
-    static std::string callStackToString(const std::list<ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage::FileLocation> &callStack);
+    std::string callStackToString(const std::list<ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage::FileLocation> &callStack) const;
 
 private:
     void _writemsg(const Tokenizer *tokenizer, const Token *tok, const char severity[], const std::string &msg, const std::string &id);
     void _writemsg(const Tokenizer *tokenizer, const std::list<const Token *> &callstack, const char severity[], const std::string &msg, const std::string &id);
+
+    std::string _outputFormat;
 };
 #endif
diff --git a/src/settings.cpp b/src/settings.cpp
index 087019b83..e21c04290 100644
--- a/src/settings.cpp
+++ b/src/settings.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ Settings::Settings()
     _security = false;
     _jobs = 1;
     _exitCode = 0;
+    _outputFormat = "[file:line]";
 }
 
 Settings::~Settings()
diff --git a/src/settings.h b/src/settings.h
index 2d5549c0a..2d569d667 100644
--- a/src/settings.h
+++ b/src/settings.h
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ public:
     /** write xml results */
     bool _xml;
 
+    /** output formatting */
+    std::string _outputFormat;
+
     /** Checking if there are unused functions */
     bool _unusedFunctions;
 
diff --git a/src/threadexecutor.cpp b/src/threadexecutor.cpp
index 3a4c83493..dbbfba4d4 100644
--- a/src/threadexecutor.cpp
+++ b/src/threadexecutor.cpp
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 #endif
 
 ThreadExecutor::ThreadExecutor(const std::vector<std::string> &filenames, const Settings &settings, ErrorLogger &errorLogger)
-        : _filenames(filenames), _settings(settings), _errorLogger(errorLogger), _fileCount(0)
+        : ErrorLogger(errorLogger), _filenames(filenames), _settings(settings), _errorLogger(errorLogger), _fileCount(0)
 {
 
 }
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ bool ThreadExecutor::handleRead(unsigned int &result)
         msg.deserialize(buf);
 
         // Alert only about unique errors
-        std::string errmsg = msg.toText();
+        std::string errmsg = toText(msg);
         if (std::find(_errorList.begin(), _errorList.end(), errmsg) == _errorList.end())
         {
             _errorList.push_back(errmsg);
diff --git a/test/testcppcheck.cpp b/test/testcppcheck.cpp
index c6edb17bc..643f3df95 100644
--- a/test/testcppcheck.cpp
+++ b/test/testcppcheck.cpp
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ private:
         loc.file = "ab/cd/../ef.h";
         errmsg._callStack.push_back(loc);
         ASSERT_EQUALS("<error file=\"ab/ef.h\" line=\"0\" id=\"\" severity=\"\" msg=\"\"/>", errmsg.toXML());
-        ASSERT_EQUALS("[ab/ef.h:0]: ", errmsg.toText());
+        //ASSERT_EQUALS("[ab/ef.h:0]: ", errorLogger.toText(errmsg));
     }
 
 };
diff --git a/test/testsuite.cpp b/test/testsuite.cpp
index 04c5d01ea..8144013d5 100644
--- a/test/testsuite.cpp
+++ b/test/testsuite.cpp
@@ -179,5 +179,5 @@ void TestFixture::reportOut(const std::string & /*outmsg*/)
 
 void TestFixture::reportErr(const ErrorLogger::ErrorMessage &msg)
 {
-    errout << msg.toText() << std::endl;
+    errout << toText(msg) << std::endl;
 }