diff --git a/admin/inc/class.admin_cmd_edit_preferences.inc.php b/admin/inc/class.admin_cmd_edit_preferences.inc.php
index 3ade556c1d..5eaf79654c 100644
--- a/admin/inc/class.admin_cmd_edit_preferences.inc.php
+++ b/admin/inc/class.admin_cmd_edit_preferences.inc.php
@@ -109,4 +109,83 @@ class admin_cmd_edit_preferences extends admin_cmd
 		}
 		return lang('Preferences').' '.self::display_account($this->account);
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Get settings from various hooks
+	 *
+	 * @return array
+	 */
+	protected function settings()
+	{
+		static $settings = null;
+
+		if (!isset($settings))
+		{
+			Api\Translation::add_app('preferences');
+			$settings = Api\Preferences::settings($this->app, $this->pref, $this->account);
+		}
+		return $settings;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Return (human readable) labels for keys of changes
+	 *
+	 * @return array
+	 */
+	function get_change_labels()
+	{
+		$labels = [];
+		foreach($this->settings() as $setting)
+		{
+			if (in_array($setting['type'], ['section', 'subsection']))
+			{
+				continue;
+			}
+			$labels[$setting['name']] = preg_replace('|<br[ /]*>|i', "\n", $setting['label']);
+		}
+		return $labels;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Return widget types (indexed by field key) for changes
+	 *
+	 * Used by historylog widget to show the changes the command recorded.
+	 */
+	function get_change_widgets()
+	{
+		$widgets = [];
+		foreach($this->settings() as $setting)
+		{
+			switch ($setting['type'])
+			{
+				// ignore the following
+				case 'section': case 'subsection':
+				case 'int': case 'integer': case 'textbox': case 'textarea':
+				case 'password': case 'input':
+				case 'vfs_file': case 'vfs_dir': case 'vfs_dirs':
+					break;
+
+				case 'color':
+					$widgets[$setting['name']] = 'colorpicker';
+					break;
+
+				case 'check':
+					$setting['type'] = 'select';
+					$setting['values'] = array('1' => lang('yes'), '0' => lang('no'));
+					// fall through
+				default:
+					if (!empty($setting['values']) && is_array($setting['values']))
+					{
+						$widgets[$setting['name']] = $setting['values'];
+					}
+					else
+					{
+						$widgets[$setting['name']] = $setting['type'];
+					}
+					break;
+			}
+		}
+		//error_log(__METHOD__."() returning ".json_encode($widgets));
+		return $widgets;
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/src/Preferences.php b/api/src/Preferences.php
index b86810bc33..89f2a59590 100644
--- a/api/src/Preferences.php
+++ b/api/src/Preferences.php
@@ -1002,4 +1002,53 @@ class Preferences
 		error_log(__METHOD__."($category,$charset) lang=$lang, country=$country, country_from_lang=$country_from_lang: Could not set local!");
 		return false;	// should not happen, as the 'C' local should at least be available everywhere
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Get preferences by calling various hooks to supply them
+	 *
+	 * @param string $_appname appname or 'common'
+	 * @param string $type ='user' 'default', 'forced', 'user' or 'group'
+	 * @param int|string $account_id =null account_id for user or group prefs, or "forced" or "default"
+	 * @return array
+	 */
+	public static function settings($_appname, $type='user', $account_id=null)
+	{
+		$all_settings = [];
+		$appname = $_appname == 'common' ? 'preferences' : $_appname;
+
+		// make type available, to hooks from applications can use it, eg. activesync
+		$hook_data = array(
+			'location' => 'settings',
+			'type' => $type,
+			'account_id' => $account_id,
+		);
+		$GLOBALS['type'] = $type;	// old global variable
+
+		// calling app specific settings hook
+		$settings = Hooks::single($hook_data, $appname);
+		// it either returns the settings or save it in $GLOBALS['settings'] (deprecated!)
+		if (isset($settings) && is_array($settings) && $settings)
+		{
+			$all_settings = array_merge($all_settings, $settings);
+		}
+		elseif(isset($GLOBALS['settings']) && is_array($GLOBALS['settings']) && $GLOBALS['settings'])
+		{
+			$all_settings = array_merge($all_settings, $GLOBALS['settings']);
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			return False;	// no settings returned
+		}
+
+		// calling settings hook all apps can answer (for a specific app)
+		$hook_data['location'] = 'settings_'.$appname;
+		foreach(Hooks::process($hook_data, $appname,true) as $settings)
+		{
+			if (isset($settings) && is_array($settings) && $settings)
+			{
+				$all_settings = array_merge($all_settings,$settings);
+			}
+		}
+		return $all_settings;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/preferences/inc/class.preferences_settings.inc.php b/preferences/inc/class.preferences_settings.inc.php
index 22ef2b7596..c65be3536a 100644
--- a/preferences/inc/class.preferences_settings.inc.php
+++ b/preferences/inc/class.preferences_settings.inc.php
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ class preferences_settings
 	 * @param array &$sel_options
 	 * @param array &$readonlys
 	 * @param array &$types on return setting-name => setting-type
-	 * @param etemplate $tpl
+	 * @param Api\Etemplate|etemplate $tpl
 	 * @throws Api\Exception\WrongParameter
 	 * @return array content
 	 */
@@ -641,39 +641,8 @@ class preferences_settings
 			Api\Translation::add_app('preferences');	// we need the prefs translations too
 		}
 
-		// make type available, to hooks from Egw\Applications can use it, eg. activesync
-		$hook_data = array(
-			'location' => 'settings',
-			'type' => $type,
-			'account_id' => $account_id,
-		);
-		$GLOBALS['type'] = $type;	// old global variable
+		$this->settings = Api\Preferences::settings($appname, $type, $account_id);
 
-		// calling app specific settings hook
-		$settings = Api\Hooks::single($hook_data, $this->appname);
-		// it either returns the settings or save it in $GLOBALS['settings'] (deprecated!)
-		if (isset($settings) && is_array($settings) && $settings)
-		{
-			$this->settings = array_merge($this->settings, $settings);
-		}
-		elseif(isset($GLOBALS['settings']) && is_array($GLOBALS['settings']) && $GLOBALS['settings'])
-		{
-			$this->settings = array_merge($this->settings, $GLOBALS['settings']);
-		}
-		else
-		{
-			return False;	// no settings returned
-		}
-
-		// calling settings hook all apps can answer (for a specific app)
-		$hook_data['location'] = 'settings_'.$this->appname;
-		foreach(Api\Hooks::process($hook_data, $this->appname,true) as $settings)
-		{
-			if (isset($settings) && is_array($settings) && $settings)
-			{
-				$this->settings = array_merge($this->settings,$settings);
-			}
-		}
 		/* Remove ui-only settings */
 		if($this->xmlrpc)
 		{