diff --git a/src/core/qgsvectorlayerlabelprovider.cpp b/src/core/qgsvectorlayerlabelprovider.cpp
index 1c26a6f7d38..3000c74766d 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsvectorlayerlabelprovider.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsvectorlayerlabelprovider.cpp
@@ -93,106 +93,11 @@ QgsVectorLayerLabelProvider::~QgsVectorLayerLabelProvider()
 
 bool QgsVectorLayerLabelProvider::prepare( const QgsRenderContext &context, QSet<QString> &attributeNames )
 {
-  QgsPalLayerSettings &lyr = mSettings;
   const QgsMapSettings &mapSettings = mEngine->mapSettings();
 
-  QgsDebugMsgLevel( "PREPARE LAYER " + mLayerId, 4 );
-
-  if ( lyr.drawLabels )
-  {
-    if ( lyr.fieldName.isEmpty() )
-    {
-      return false;
-    }
-
-    if ( lyr.isExpression )
-    {
-      QgsExpression exp( lyr.fieldName );
-      if ( exp.hasEvalError() )
-      {
-        QgsDebugMsgLevel( "Prepare error:" + exp.evalErrorString(), 4 );
-        return false;
-      }
-    }
-    else
-    {
-      // If we aren't an expression, we check to see if we can find the column.
-      if ( mFields.lookupField( lyr.fieldName ) == -1 )
-      {
-        return false;
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  lyr.mCurFields = mFields;
-
-  if ( lyr.drawLabels || lyr.obstacle )
-  {
-    if ( lyr.drawLabels )
-    {
-      // add field indices for label's text, from expression or field
-      if ( lyr.isExpression )
-      {
-        // prepare expression for use in QgsPalLayerSettings::registerFeature()
-        QgsExpression *exp = lyr.getLabelExpression();
-        exp->prepare( &context.expressionContext() );
-        if ( exp->hasEvalError() )
-        {
-          QgsDebugMsgLevel( "Prepare error:" + exp->evalErrorString(), 4 );
-        }
-        Q_FOREACH ( const QString &name, exp->referencedColumns() )
-        {
-          QgsDebugMsgLevel( "REFERENCED COLUMN = " + name, 4 );
-          attributeNames.insert( name );
-        }
-      }
-      else
-      {
-        attributeNames.insert( lyr.fieldName );
-      }
-    }
-
-    lyr.dataDefinedProperties().prepare( context.expressionContext() );
-    // add field indices of data defined expression or field
-    attributeNames.unite( lyr.dataDefinedProperties().referencedFields( context.expressionContext() ) );
-  }
-
-  // NOW INITIALIZE QgsPalLayerSettings
-
-  // TODO: ideally these (non-configuration) members should get out of QgsPalLayerSettings to here
-  // (together with registerFeature() & related methods) and QgsPalLayerSettings just stores config
-
-  // save the pal layer to our layer context (with some additional info)
-  lyr.fieldIndex = mFields.lookupField( lyr.fieldName );
-
-  lyr.xform = &mapSettings.mapToPixel();
-  lyr.ct = QgsCoordinateTransform();
-  if ( context.coordinateTransform().isValid() )
-    // this is context for layer rendering
-    lyr.ct = context.coordinateTransform();
-  else
-  {
-    // otherwise fall back to creating our own CT
-    lyr.ct = QgsCoordinateTransform( mCrs, mapSettings.destinationCrs(), mapSettings.transformContext() );
-  }
-  lyr.ptZero = lyr.xform->toMapCoordinates( 0, 0 );
-  lyr.ptOne = lyr.xform->toMapCoordinates( 1, 0 );
-
-  // rect for clipping
-  lyr.extentGeom = QgsGeometry::fromRect( mapSettings.visibleExtent() );
-  if ( !qgsDoubleNear( mapSettings.rotation(), 0.0 ) )
-  {
-    //PAL features are prerotated, so extent also needs to be unrotated
-    lyr.extentGeom.rotate( -mapSettings.rotation(), mapSettings.visibleExtent().center() );
-  }
-
-  lyr.mFeatsSendingToPal = 0;
-
-  return true;
+  return mSettings.prepare( context, attributeNames, mFields, mapSettings, mCrs );
 }
 
-
-
 QList<QgsLabelFeature *> QgsVectorLayerLabelProvider::labelFeatures( QgsRenderContext &ctx )
 {
   if ( !mSource )