Setting Up a QA-MISRA Evaluation License and VS Code Extension

The following steps explain how to activate a QA-MISRA evaluation license, configure the local server, install the QA-MISRA extension in Visual Studio Code, and run an example analysis.

1. Request the QA-MISRA Evaluation License

Request an evaluation license for QA-MISRA.

After submitting the request, you will receive an email asking you to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA). Once the EULA is accepted, you will receive another email containing:

• The evaluation license file
• A portal link to download the QA-MISRA installation package

2. Install QA-MISRA

Download the QA-MISRA installation package using the link provided in the email and install it on your system.

3. Start the QA-MISRA Local Server

Open the QA-MISRA Server Controller.

Click Manage Local Server, then select Start Server from the drop-down menu.

4. Log In to the Local Server

When prompted for login credentials, use the default credentials:

Username: admin
Password: admin

After logging in, the Server Controller will display the local server and license information.

5. Add the Evaluation License

In the License section, click the icon on the right-hand side.

In the window that opens:

1. Select Evaluation/Node-Locked License from the license menu.
2. Under Data, enter or browse to the location of the license file received by email.
3. Click OK.

The evaluation license should now appear as active in the Server Controller.

6. Install the QA-MISRA Extension in VS Code

Open Visual Studio Code and go to the Extensions tab.

Click the three-dot menu (...) in the Extensions panel and select Install from VSIX...

Navigate to the QA-MISRA installation directory and open:

share → vscode

Select the available .vsix file and click Install.

Once the installation is complete, the QA-MISRA extension page will appear in VS Code.

7. Open a QA-MISRA Example Project

To verify that QA-MISRA is working correctly, open one of the example projects included with the QA-MISRA installation.

The example folder is available inside the share directory.

Choose the example project you want to analyze and open the folder in VS Code.

8. Check the .dax File

Make sure the required .dax file is available for the example project.

For the provided examples, the .dax file should be located one folder above the source files that you want to analyze.

9. Run and View the QA-MISRA Analysis

Open the desired .c or .cpp source file.

Then open the Output panel in VS Code. The QA-MISRA output will appear here as the source code is analyzed.

10. View MISRA Violations in the Source Code

Once the analysis is running, QA-MISRA highlights detected issues directly in the source code using yellow squiggly lines.

Hover over a highlighted section to view the corresponding ALARM, including information about the coding-standard violation detected by QA-MISRA.

11. Change the Analysis Mode

By default, the QA-MISRA extension is configured to use Single Translation Unit mode. If you want to analyze the complete project, you can change the analysis mode in the VS Code settings.

Go to:

File → Preferences → Settings → Extensions

Under Extensions, select a³ for C/C++ LSP Client.

Find the A3c › Client: Mode setting. Open the drop-down menu and change the mode from single-translation-unit to the full-project analysis mode.

Single Translation Unit vs. Full Project: Single Translation Unit mode analyzes individual source files separately, while full-project mode analyzes the project with a broader view of the code and relationships between multiple source files.