diff --git a/lib/checkexceptionsafety.cpp b/lib/checkexceptionsafety.cpp
index 0e0b584ce..80ce3ab72 100644
--- a/lib/checkexceptionsafety.cpp
+++ b/lib/checkexceptionsafety.cpp
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ static bool autodealloc(const Token * const C, const Token * const tokens)
 
 void CheckExceptionSafety::unsafeNew()
 {
-    if (_settings->enableId != "*" && _settings->enableId.find(",exceptNew,") == std::string::npos)
+    if (!_settings->isEnabled("exceptNew"))
         return;
 
     // Inspect initializer lists..
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ void CheckExceptionSafety::unsafeNew()
 
 void CheckExceptionSafety::realloc()
 {
-    if (_settings->enableId != "*" && _settings->enableId.find(",exceptRealloc,") == std::string::npos)
+    if (!_settings->isEnabled("exceptRealloc"))
         return;
 
     for (const Token *tok = _tokenizer->tokens(); tok; tok = tok->next())
diff --git a/lib/cppcheck.cpp b/lib/cppcheck.cpp
index a5f15bd4f..1dffa395d 100644
--- a/lib/cppcheck.cpp
+++ b/lib/cppcheck.cpp
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@
 #include <sstream>
 #include <cstring>
 #include <fstream>
-#include <map>
 #include <stdexcept>
 
 #ifdef __GNUC__
@@ -99,7 +98,7 @@ void CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
 
         // Show all messages
         else if (strcmp(argv[i], "-a") == 0 || strcmp(argv[i], "--all") == 0)
-            _settings._showAll = true;
+            _settings.addEnabled("possibleError");
 
         // Only print something when there are errors
         else if (strcmp(argv[i], "-q") == 0 || strcmp(argv[i], "--quiet") == 0)
@@ -107,7 +106,7 @@ void CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
 
         // Checking coding style
         else if (strcmp(argv[i], "-s") == 0 || strcmp(argv[i], "--style") == 0)
-            _settings._checkCodingStyle = true;
+            _settings.addEnabled("style");
 
         // Filter errors
         else if (strcmp(argv[i], "--suppressions") == 0)
@@ -137,10 +136,7 @@ void CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
 
         // Check if there are unused functions
         else if (strcmp(argv[i], "--unused-functions") == 0)
-        {
-            if (_settings.enableId != "*")
-                _settings.enableId += ",unusedFunctions,";
-        }
+            _settings.addEnabled("unusedFunctions");
 
         // Append userdefined code to checked source code
         else if (strncmp(argv[i], "--append=", 9) == 0)
@@ -161,29 +157,18 @@ void CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
 
 
         else if (strcmp(argv[i], "--enable") == 0)
-        {
-            _settings.enableId = "*";
-            _settings._showAll = true;
-            _settings._checkCodingStyle = true;
-        }
+            _settings.addEnabled("");
 
         else if (strncmp(argv[i], "--enable=", 9) == 0)
         {
-            if (_settings.enableId != "*")
-            {
-                std::string s(9 + argv[i]);
-                if (s[0] == '\"')
-                    s[0] = ',';
-                std::string::size_type pos = s.find("\"");
-                if (pos != std::string::npos)
-                    s.erase(pos, 1);
-                _settings.enableId += "," + s + ",";
+            std::string s(9 + argv[i]);
+            if (s[0] == '\"')
+                s.erase(0, 1);
+            std::string::size_type pos = s.find("\"");
+            if (pos != std::string::npos)
+                s.erase(pos, 1);
 
-                if (_settings.enableId.find(",style,") != std::string::npos)
-                    _settings._checkCodingStyle = true;
-                if (_settings.enableId.find(",possibleError,") != std::string::npos)
-                    _settings._showAll = true;
-            }
+            _settings.addEnabled(s);
         }
 
         // --error-exitcode=1
@@ -335,9 +320,9 @@ void CppCheck::parseFromArgs(int argc, const char* const argv[])
             pathnames.push_back(argv[i]);
     }
 
-    if (_settings.enableId.find(",unusedFunctions,") != std::string::npos  && _settings._jobs > 1)
+    if (_settings.isEnabled("unusedFunctions") && _settings._jobs > 1)
     {
-        throw std::runtime_error("cppcheck: error: the unusedFunctions check can't be used with -j option.");
+        reportOut("unusedFunctions check can't be used with -j option, so it was disabled.");
     }
 
     if (pathnames.size() > 0)
@@ -495,7 +480,7 @@ unsigned int CppCheck::check()
 
     // This generates false positives - especially for libraries
     _settings._verbose = false;
-    if (_settings.enableId != "*" && _settings.enableId.find(",unusedFunctions,") != std::string::npos)
+    if (_settings.isEnabled("unusedFunctions") && _settings._jobs == 1)
     {
         _errout.str("");
         if (_settings._errorsOnly == false)
@@ -555,7 +540,7 @@ void CppCheck::checkFile(const std::string &code, const char FileName[])
     }
 
 
-    if (_settings.enableId != "*" || _settings.enableId.find(",unusedFunctions,") != std::string::npos)
+    if (_settings.isEnabled("unusedFunctions") && _settings._jobs == 1)
         _checkUnusedFunctions.parseTokens(_tokenizer);
 
     // call all "runSimplifiedChecks" in all registered Check classes
diff --git a/lib/settings.cpp b/lib/settings.cpp
index 761df5df9..4bc29c809 100644
--- a/lib/settings.cpp
+++ b/lib/settings.cpp
@@ -113,6 +113,44 @@ bool Settings::isSuppressed(const std::string &errorId, const std::string &file,
     return true;
 }
 
+void Settings::addEnabled(const std::string &str)
+{
+    if (str.length() == 0)
+    {
+        _enabled["*"] = true;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        std::string::size_type prevPos = 0;
+        std::string::size_type pos = 0;
+        while ((pos = str.find_first_of(",", pos)) != std::string::npos)
+        {
+            if (prevPos != pos)
+                _enabled[str.substr(prevPos, pos-prevPos)] = true;
+
+            ++pos;
+            prevPos = pos;
+        }
+
+        if (prevPos < str.length())
+            _enabled[str.substr(prevPos, pos-prevPos)] = true;
+    }
+
+    if (isEnabled("style"))
+        _checkCodingStyle = true;
+    if (isEnabled("possibleError"))
+        _showAll = true;
+}
+
+bool Settings::isEnabled(const std::string &str) const
+{
+    if (_enabled.find("*") != _enabled.end() ||
+        _enabled.find(str) != _enabled.end())
+        return true;
+    else
+        return false;
+}
+
 void Settings::addAutoAllocClass(const std::string &name)
 {
     _autoDealloc.insert(name);
diff --git a/lib/settings.h b/lib/settings.h
index e287ba04b..27ef2e407 100644
--- a/lib/settings.h
+++ b/lib/settings.h
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ private:
     /** List of error which the user doesn't want to see. */
     std::map<std::string, std::map<std::string, std::list<int> > > _suppressions;
 
+    /** enable extra checks by id */
+    std::map<std::string, bool> _enabled;
 public:
     Settings();
     virtual ~Settings();
@@ -119,7 +121,22 @@ public:
     std::string append() const;
 
     /** enable extra checks by id */
-    std::string enableId;
+    //std::string enableId;
+
+    /**
+     * Returns true if given id is in the list of
+     * enabled extra checks. See addEnabled()
+     * @param str id for the extra check, e.g. "style"
+     * @return true if the check is enabled.
+     */
+    bool isEnabled(const std::string &str) const;
+
+    /**
+     * Enable extra checks by id. See isEnabled()
+     * @param str single id or list of id values to be enabled
+     * or empty string to enable all. e.g. "style,possibleError"
+     */
+    void addEnabled(const std::string &str);
 };
 
 /// @}
diff --git a/test/testexceptionsafety.cpp b/test/testexceptionsafety.cpp
index fdc8c3c3a..6e41fe764 100644
--- a/test/testexceptionsafety.cpp
+++ b/test/testexceptionsafety.cpp
@@ -53,8 +53,7 @@ private:
 
         // Check char variable usage..
         Settings settings;
-        settings._checkCodingStyle = true;
-        settings.enableId = "*";
+        settings.addEnabled("");
         CheckExceptionSafety checkExceptionSafety(&tokenizer, &settings, this);
         checkExceptionSafety.runSimplifiedChecks(&tokenizer, &settings, this);
     }