Bug 33628 [Preferences] provide API for showing a specified preference page
There is no way for a plugin to open the (workbench) preference dialog with a certain peference page selected. Enabling this would allow plugins to refer the user to a certain preference page, for example when a misconfiguration is detected during execution of an action. Also this enables developers to write a new search panel to find a text in the preference pages and get the user right there. A method select(IPreferencePage page), select(IPreferenceNode node) or select(String path) in org.eclipse.jface.preference.PreferenceDialog would help.
bundles/org.eclipse.jface/src/org/eclipse/jface/preference/PreferenceDialog.java
hdiff = Math.max(0, hdiff);
					vdiff = Math.max(0, vdiff);
					setShellSize(shellSize.x + hdiff, shellSize.y + vdiff);
					lastShellSize = shell.getSize();
				} else {
					currentPage.setSize(containerSize);
				}
			} else if (hdiff < 0 || vdiff < 0) {
				currentPage.setSize(containerSize);
			}
		}
		
		
		
		Control[] children = pageContainer.getChildren();
		Control currentControl = currentPage.getControl();
		for (int i = 0; i < children.length; i++) {
			if (children[i] != currentControl)
				children[i].setVisible(false);
		}
		
		currentPage.setVisible(true);
		if (oldPage != null)
			oldPage.setVisible(false);
		
		update();
		return true;
	}
	/**
	 * Shows the "Page Flipping abort" dialog.