diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/compare/CMergeViewer.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/compare/CMergeViewer.java
index c96c4f082e6..4ee52fd9831 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/compare/CMergeViewer.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/compare/CMergeViewer.java
@@ -30,8 +30,10 @@ import org.eclipse.compare.internal.TokenComparator;
 
 import org.eclipse.jface.preference.IPreferenceStore;
 import org.eclipse.jface.preference.PreferenceConverter;
+import org.eclipse.jface.text.IDocumentExtension3;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.IDocumentPartitioner;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.TextViewer;
+import org.eclipse.jface.text.source.ISourceViewer;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.source.SourceViewer;
 import org.eclipse.jface.util.IPropertyChangeListener;
 import org.eclipse.jface.util.PropertyChangeEvent;
@@ -127,7 +129,12 @@ public class CMergeViewer extends TextMergeViewer {
 	private CSourceViewerConfiguration getSourceViewerConfiguration() {
 		if (fSourceViewerConfiguration == null) {
 			CTextTools tools= CUIPlugin.getDefault().getTextTools();
-			fSourceViewerConfiguration = new CSourceViewerConfiguration(tools, null);
+			fSourceViewerConfiguration = new CSourceViewerConfiguration(tools, null) {
+				public String getConfiguredDocumentPartitioning(ISourceViewer sourceViewer) {
+					return IDocumentExtension3.DEFAULT_PARTITIONING;
+				}
+				
+			};
 		}
 		return fSourceViewerConfiguration;
 	}
@@ -143,10 +150,9 @@ public class CMergeViewer extends TextMergeViewer {
 	protected IDocumentPartitioner getDocumentPartitioner() {
 		return CUIPlugin.getDefault().getTextTools().createDocumentPartitioner();
 	}
-		
+
 	protected void configureTextViewer(TextViewer textViewer) {
 		if (textViewer instanceof SourceViewer) {
-			CTextTools tools= CUIPlugin.getDefault().getTextTools();
 			((SourceViewer)textViewer).configure(getSourceViewerConfiguration());
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CEditorPreferencePage.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CEditorPreferencePage.java
index 3ea368a4a94..150ed716815 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CEditorPreferencePage.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CEditorPreferencePage.java
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import org.eclipse.jface.preference.PreferenceConverter;
 import org.eclipse.jface.resource.JFaceResources;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.Document;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.IDocument;
-import org.eclipse.jface.text.IDocumentPartitioner;
 import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
 import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionEvent;
 import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionListener;
@@ -289,9 +288,7 @@ public class CEditorPreferencePage extends AbstractPreferencePage implements IWo
 
 		String content = loadPreviewContentFromFile("ColorSettingPreviewCode.txt"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		IDocument document = new Document(content);
-		IDocumentPartitioner partitioner = fCTextTools.createDocumentPartitioner();
-		partitioner.connect(document);
-		document.setDocumentPartitioner(partitioner);
+		fCTextTools.setupCDocument(document);
 
 		fPreviewViewer.setDocument(document);
 
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CTemplatePreferencePage.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CTemplatePreferencePage.java
index 2efe742967b..548601d1185 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CTemplatePreferencePage.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/preferences/CTemplatePreferencePage.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import org.eclipse.cdt.ui.CUIPlugin;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.ui.PreferenceConstants;
 import org.eclipse.jface.resource.JFaceResources;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.Document;
+import org.eclipse.jface.text.IDocument;
 import org.eclipse.jface.text.source.SourceViewer;
 import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
 import org.eclipse.swt.accessibility.AccessibleAdapter;
@@ -70,9 +71,11 @@ public class CTemplatePreferencePage extends TemplatePreferencePage {
 	protected SourceViewer createViewer(Composite parent) {
 		SourceViewer viewer= new SourceViewer(parent, null, SWT.BORDER | SWT.V_SCROLL | SWT.H_SCROLL);
 		CTextTools tools= CUIPlugin.getDefault().getTextTools();
+		IDocument document = new Document();
+		tools.setupCDocument(document);
 		viewer.configure(new CSourceViewerConfiguration(tools, null));
 		viewer.setEditable(false);
-		viewer.setDocument(new Document());
+		viewer.setDocument(document);
 		viewer.getTextWidget().setBackground(getShell().getDisplay().getSystemColor(SWT.COLOR_WIDGET_BACKGROUND));
 	
 		Font font= JFaceResources.getFontRegistry().get(JFaceResources.TEXT_FONT);
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CSourceViewerConfiguration.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CSourceViewerConfiguration.java
index 5dc23e7a129..66bcffc7ff2 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CSourceViewerConfiguration.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CSourceViewerConfiguration.java
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ public class CSourceViewerConfiguration extends TextSourceViewerConfiguration {
     public IPresentationReconciler getPresentationReconciler(ISourceViewer sourceViewer) {
 
 		PresentationReconciler reconciler= new PresentationReconciler();
+		reconciler.setDocumentPartitioning(getConfiguredDocumentPartitioning(sourceViewer));
 
 		RuleBasedScanner scanner;
 
@@ -469,8 +470,15 @@ public class CSourceViewerConfiguration extends TextSourceViewerConfiguration {
 		
 		return detectors;
 	}
- 
-    /**
+
+	/*
+	 * @see org.eclipse.jface.text.source.SourceViewerConfiguration#getConfiguredDocumentPartitioning(org.eclipse.jface.text.source.ISourceViewer)
+	 */
+    public String getConfiguredDocumentPartitioning(ISourceViewer sourceViewer) {
+		return fTextTools.getDocumentPartitioning();
+	}
+
+	/**
      * Creates control for outline presentation in editor.
      * @param editor Editor.
      * @return Control.
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CTextTools.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CTextTools.java
index c82286c928d..a3a9b22bf92 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CTextTools.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/text/CTextTools.java
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ public class CTextTools {
             adaptToPreferenceChange(new PropertyChangeEvent(event.getSource(), event.getProperty(), event.getOldValue(), event.getNewValue()));
         }
 	}
+
+	private static final String DEFAULT_PARTITIONING = "__c_partitioning"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	
 	/** The color manager */
 	private CColorManager fColorManager;
@@ -63,7 +65,8 @@ public class CTextTools {
     private Preferences fCorePreferenceStore;	
 	/** The preference change listener */
 	private PreferenceListener fPreferenceListener= new PreferenceListener();
-	
+	/** The document partitioning used for the C partitioner */
+	private String fDocumentPartitioning = DEFAULT_PARTITIONING;
 	
 	/**
 	 * Creates a new C text tools collection and eagerly creates 
@@ -273,7 +276,26 @@ public class CTextTools {
 	 * @since 3.0
 	 */
 	public void setupCDocument(IDocument document) {
-		setupCDocumentPartitioner(document, IDocumentExtension3.DEFAULT_PARTITIONING);
+		setupCDocumentPartitioner(document, fDocumentPartitioning);
 	}
-	
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+
+	/**
+	 * Get the document partitioning used for the C partitioner.
+	 * 
+	 * @return the document partitioning used for the C partitioner
+	 * @since 3.1
+	 */
+	public String getDocumentPartitioning() {
+		return fDocumentPartitioning;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Set the document partitioning to be used for the C partitioner.
+	 * 
+	 * @since 3.1
+	 */
+	public void setDocumentPartitioning(String documentPartitioning) {
+		fDocumentPartitioning = documentPartitioning;
+	}
+
+}