diff --git a/src/cmd/ebnflint/ebnflint.go b/src/cmd/ebnflint/ebnflint.go
index 7757085dd5e..253f286d16a 100644
--- a/src/cmd/ebnflint/ebnflint.go
+++ b/src/cmd/ebnflint/ebnflint.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"ebnf";
 	"flag";
 	"fmt";
+	"go/scanner";
 	"io";
 	"os";
 	"path";
@@ -70,23 +71,6 @@ func extractEBNF(src []byte) []byte {
 }
 
 
-// TODO(gri) This is the same code for reportError as in gofmt.
-//           Should factor this out as part of some parsing framework
-//           that could also deal with reading various input sources.
-
-func reportError(filename string, err os.Error) {
-	if errors, ok := err.(ebnf.ErrorList); ok {
-		sort.Sort(errors);
-		for _, e := range errors {
-			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s:%v\n", filename, e);
-		}
-	} else {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s: %v\n", filename, err);
-	}
-	os.Exit(1);
-}
-
-
 func main() {
 	flag.Parse();
 
@@ -102,19 +86,19 @@ func main() {
 
 	src, err := io.ReadFile(filename);
 	if err != nil {
-		reportError(filename, err);
+		scanner.PrintError(os.Stderr, err);
 	}
 
 	if path.Ext(filename) == ".html" {
 		src = extractEBNF(src);
 	}
 
-	grammar, err := ebnf.Parse(src);
+	grammar, err := ebnf.Parse(filename, src);
 	if err != nil {
-		reportError(filename, err);
+		scanner.PrintError(os.Stderr, err);
 	}
 
 	if err = ebnf.Verify(grammar, *start); err != nil {
-		reportError(filename, err);
+		scanner.PrintError(os.Stderr, err);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/gobuild/util.go b/src/cmd/gobuild/util.go
index fa8b382f205..10920d15282 100644
--- a/src/cmd/gobuild/util.go
+++ b/src/cmd/gobuild/util.go
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ func PackageImports(file string) (pkg string, imports []string, err1 os.Error) {
 		return "", nil, err
 	}
 
-	prog, err := parser.Parse(f, parser.ImportsOnly);
+	prog, err := parser.Parse(file, f, parser.ImportsOnly);
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", nil, err;
 	}
diff --git a/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go b/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go
index ab95b519f35..3b3d4fabaeb 100644
--- a/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go
+++ b/src/cmd/godoc/godoc.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import (
 	"go/doc";
 	"go/parser";
 	"go/printer";
+	"go/scanner";
 	"go/token";
 	"http";
 	"io";
@@ -166,10 +167,10 @@ func parse(path string, mode uint) (*ast.Program, *parseErrors) {
 		return nil, &parseErrors{path, errs, nil};
 	}
 
-	prog, err := parser.Parse(src, mode);
+	prog, err := parser.Parse(path, src, mode);
 	if err != nil {
 		// sort and convert error list
-		if errors, ok := err.(parser.ErrorList); ok {
+		if errors, ok := err.(scanner.ErrorList); ok {
 			sort.Sort(errors);
 			errs := make([]parseError, len(errors) + 1);	// +1 for final fragment of source
 			offs := 0;
diff --git a/src/cmd/gofmt/gofmt.go b/src/cmd/gofmt/gofmt.go
index 11d3cca1831..57c07d93e7e 100644
--- a/src/cmd/gofmt/gofmt.go
+++ b/src/cmd/gofmt/gofmt.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"go/ast";
 	"go/parser";
 	"go/printer";
+	"go/scanner";
 	"io";
 	"os";
 	"sort";
@@ -84,16 +85,9 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1);
 	}
 
-	prog, err := parser.Parse(src, parserMode());
+	prog, err := parser.Parse(filename, src, parserMode());
 	if err != nil {
-		if errors, ok := err.(parser.ErrorList); ok {
-			sort.Sort(errors);
-			for _, e := range errors {
-				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s:%v\n", filename, e);
-			}
-		} else {
-			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s: %v\n", filename, err);
-		}
+		scanner.PrintError(os.Stderr, err);
 		os.Exit(1);
 	}
 
@@ -102,7 +96,7 @@ func main() {
 			ast.FilterExports(prog);  // ignore result
 		}
 		w := makeTabwriter(os.Stdout);
-		printer.Fprint(w, prog, printerMode());
+		printer.Fprint(w, prog, printerMode());  // ignore errors
 		w.Flush();
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/pkg/Make.deps b/src/pkg/Make.deps
index 12f0ef6e5fb..7bbb22eb664 100644
--- a/src/pkg/Make.deps
+++ b/src/pkg/Make.deps
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ go/ast.install: go/token.install unicode.install utf8.install
 go/doc.install: container/vector.install fmt.install go/ast.install go/token.install io.install once.install regexp.install sort.install strings.install template.install
 go/parser.install: bytes.install container/vector.install fmt.install go/ast.install go/scanner.install go/token.install io.install os.install strings.install
 go/printer.install: fmt.install go/ast.install go/token.install io.install os.install reflect.install strings.install
-go/scanner.install: go/token.install strconv.install unicode.install utf8.install
+go/scanner.install: bytes.install container/vector.install fmt.install go/token.install io.install os.install sort.install strconv.install unicode.install utf8.install
 go/token.install: strconv.install
 gob.install: fmt.install io.install math.install os.install reflect.install strings.install sync.install unicode.install
 hash.install: io.install
diff --git a/src/pkg/datafmt/datafmt_test.go b/src/pkg/datafmt/datafmt_test.go
index 95354945193..8c3e002870f 100644
--- a/src/pkg/datafmt/datafmt_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/datafmt/datafmt_test.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import (
 
 
 func parse(t *testing.T, form string, fmap FormatterMap) Format {
-	f, err := Parse(strings.Bytes(form), fmap);
+	f, err := Parse("", strings.Bytes(form), fmap);
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Parse(%s): %v", form, err);
 		return nil;
diff --git a/src/pkg/datafmt/parser.go b/src/pkg/datafmt/parser.go
index 17d4be982e0..ea34623dcca 100644
--- a/src/pkg/datafmt/parser.go
+++ b/src/pkg/datafmt/parser.go
@@ -15,53 +15,11 @@ import (
 	"strings";
 )
 
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Error handling
-
-// Error describes an individual error. The position Pos, if valid,
-// indicates the format source position the error relates to. The
-// error is specified with the Msg string.
-//
-type Error struct {
-	Pos token.Position;
-	Msg string;
-}
-
-
-func (e *Error) String() string {
-	pos := "";
-	if e.Pos.IsValid() {
-		pos = fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d: ", e.Pos.Line, e.Pos.Column);
-	}
-	return pos + e.Msg;
-}
-
-
-// An ErrorList is a list of errors encountered during parsing.
-type ErrorList []*Error
-
-
-// ErrorList implements SortInterface and the os.Error interface.
-
-func (p ErrorList) Len() int  { return len(p); }
-func (p ErrorList) Swap(i, j int)  { p[i], p[j] = p[j], p[i]; }
-func (p ErrorList) Less(i, j int) bool  { return p[i].Pos.Offset < p[j].Pos.Offset; }
-
-
-func (p ErrorList) String() string {
-	switch len(p) {
-	case 0: return "unspecified error";
-	case 1: return p[0].String();
-	}
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%s (and %d more errors)", p[0].String(), len(p) - 1);
-}
-
-
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Parsing
 
 type parser struct {
-	errors vector.Vector;
+	scanner.ErrorVector;
 	scanner scanner.Scanner;
 	pos token.Position;  // token position
 	tok token.Token;  // one token look-ahead
@@ -83,26 +41,15 @@ func (p *parser) next() {
 }
 
 
-func (p *parser) init(src []byte) {
-	p.errors.Init(0);
-	p.scanner.Init(src, p, scanner.AllowIllegalChars);  // return '@' as token.ILLEGAL w/o error message
+func (p *parser) init(filename string, src []byte) {
+	p.ErrorVector.Init();
+	p.scanner.Init(filename, src, p, scanner.AllowIllegalChars);  // return '@' as token.ILLEGAL w/o error message
 	p.next();  // initializes pos, tok, lit
 	p.packs = make(map [string] string);
 	p.rules = make(map [string] expr);
 }
 
 
-// The parser implements scanner.Error.
-func (p *parser) Error(pos token.Position, msg string) {
-	// Don't collect errors that are on the same line as the previous error
-	// in the hope to reduce the number of spurious errors due to incorrect
-	// parser synchronization.
-	if p.errors.Len() == 0 || p.errors.Last().(*Error).Pos.Line != pos.Line {
-		p.errors.Push(&Error{pos, msg});
-	}
-}
-
-
 func (p *parser) errorExpected(pos token.Position, msg string) {
 	msg = "expected " + msg;
 	if pos.Offset == p.pos.Offset {
@@ -416,10 +363,10 @@ func remap(p *parser, name string) string {
 // there are no errors, the result is a Format and the error is nil.
 // Otherwise the format is nil and a non-empty ErrorList is returned.
 //
-func Parse(src []byte, fmap FormatterMap) (Format, os.Error) {
+func Parse(filename string, src []byte, fmap FormatterMap) (Format, os.Error) {
 	// parse source
 	var p parser;
-	p.init(src);
+	p.init(filename, src);
 	p.parseFormat();
 
 	// add custom formatters, if any
@@ -433,14 +380,5 @@ func Parse(src []byte, fmap FormatterMap) (Format, os.Error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// convert errors list, if any
-	if p.errors.Len() > 0 {
-		errors := make(ErrorList, p.errors.Len());
-		for i := 0; i < p.errors.Len(); i++ {
-			errors[i] = p.errors.At(i).(*Error);
-		}
-		return nil, errors;
-	}
-
-	return p.rules, nil;
+	return p.rules, p.GetError(scanner.NoMultiples);
 }