diff --git a/ui_windows.h b/ui_windows.h
index 2722d04f..335b49b2 100644
--- a/ui_windows.h
+++ b/ui_windows.h
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ _UI_EXTERN void uiWindowsControlAssignControlIDZOrder(uiWindowsControl *, LONG_P
 #define uiWindowsControlDefaultSetParentHWND(type) \
 	static void type ## SetParentHWND(uiWindowsControl *c, HWND parent) \
 	{ \
-		uiWindowsEnsureSetParent(type(c)->hwnd, parent); \
+		uiWindowsEnsureSetParentHWND(type(c)->hwnd, parent); \
 	}
 // note that there is no uiWindowsControlDefaultMinimumSize(); you MUST define this yourself!
 #define uiWindowsDefaultChildMinimumSizeChanged(type) \
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ _UI_EXTERN HWND uiWindowsEnsureCreateControlHWND(DWORD dwExStyle, LPCWSTR lpClas
 _UI_EXTERN void uiWindowsEnsureDestroyWindow(HWND hwnd);
 
 // TODO document
-_UI_EXTERN void uiWindowsEnsureSetParent(HWND hwnd, HWND parent);
+_UI_EXTERN void uiWindowsEnsureSetParentHWND(HWND hwnd, HWND parent);
 
 // TODO document
 _UI_EXTERN void uiWindowsEnsureAssignControlIDZOrder(HWND hwnd, LONG_PTR *controlID, HWND *insertAfter);
diff --git a/windows/GNUfiles.mk b/windows/GNUfiles.mk
index d88d7486..3babf0e7 100644
--- a/windows/GNUfiles.mk
+++ b/windows/GNUfiles.mk
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ CXXFILES += \
 	windows/utf16.cpp \
 	windows/utilwin.cpp \
 	windows/window.cpp \
+	windows/winpublic.cpp \
 	windows/winutil.cpp
 
 HFILES += \
diff --git a/windows/winpublic.cpp b/windows/winpublic.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..be1cf60c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/windows/winpublic.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+// 6 april 2015
+#include "uipriv_windows.hpp"
+
+void uiWindowsEnsureDestroyWindow(HWND hwnd)
+{
+	if (DestroyWindow(hwnd) == 0)
+		logLastError(L"error destroying window");
+}
+
+void uiWindowsEnsureSetParentHWND(HWND hwnd, HWND parent)
+{
+	if (parent == NULL)
+		parent = utilWindow;
+	if (SetParent(hwnd, parent) == 0)
+		logLastError(L"error setting window parent");
+}
+
+void uiWindowsEnsureAssignControlIDZOrder(HWND hwnd, LONG_PTR controlID, HWND insertAfter)
+{
+	SetWindowLongPtrW(hwnd, GWLP_ID, controlID);
+	setWindowInsertAfter(hwnd, insertAfter);
+}
+
+void uiWindowsEnsureMoveWindowDuringResize(HWND hwnd, intmax_t x, intmax_t y, intmax_t width, intmax_t height)
+{
+	RECT r;
+
+	r.left = x;
+	r.top = y;
+	r.right = x + width;
+	r.bottom = y + height;
+	if (SetWindowPos(hwnd, NULL, r.left, r.top, r.right - r.left, r.bottom - r.top, SWP_NOACTIVATE | SWP_NOOWNERZORDER | SWP_NOREDRAW | SWP_NOZORDER) == 0)
+		logLastError(L"error moving window");
+}
diff --git a/windows/winutil.cpp b/windows/winutil.cpp
index c8789124..b4fa692e 100644
--- a/windows/winutil.cpp
+++ b/windows/winutil.cpp
@@ -76,26 +76,6 @@ void setExStyle(HWND hwnd, DWORD exstyle)
 	SetWindowLongPtrW(hwnd, GWL_EXSTYLE, (LONG_PTR) exstyle);
 }
 
-void uiWindowsEnsureDestroyWindow(HWND hwnd)
-{
-	if (DestroyWindow(hwnd) == 0)
-		logLastError(L"error destroying window");
-}
-
-// TODO allow passing NULL to indicate no parent
-// this would allow for custom containers
-void uiWindowsEnsureSetParent(HWND hwnd, HWND parent)
-{
-	if (SetParent(hwnd, parent) == 0)
-		logLastError(L"error setting window parent");
-}
-
-void uiWindowsEnsureAssignControlIDZOrder(HWND hwnd, LONG_PTR controlID, HWND insertAfter)
-{
-	SetWindowLongPtrW(hwnd, GWLP_ID, controlID);
-	setWindowInsertAfter(hwnd, insertAfter);
-}
-
 // see http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2003/09/11/54885.aspx and http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2003/09/13/54917.aspx
 void clientSizeToWindowSize(HWND hwnd, intmax_t *width, intmax_t *height, BOOL hasMenubar)
 {
@@ -135,18 +115,6 @@ HWND parentToplevel(HWND child)
 	return GetAncestor(child, GA_ROOT);
 }
 
-void uiWindowsEnsureMoveWindowDuringResize(HWND hwnd, intmax_t x, intmax_t y, intmax_t width, intmax_t height)
-{
-	RECT r;
-
-	r.left = x;
-	r.top = y;
-	r.right = x + width;
-	r.bottom = y + height;
-	if (SetWindowPos(hwnd, NULL, r.left, r.top, r.right - r.left, r.bottom - r.top, SWP_NOACTIVATE | SWP_NOOWNERZORDER | SWP_NOREDRAW | SWP_NOZORDER) == 0)
-		logLastError(L"error moving window");
-}
-
 void setWindowInsertAfter(HWND hwnd, HWND insertAfter)
 {
 	if (SetWindowPos(hwnd, insertAfter, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOACTIVATE | SWP_NOMOVE | SWP_NOOWNERZORDER | SWP_NOSIZE) == 0)