diff --git a/test/controls.c b/test/controls.c
index 8511d113..62871ea4 100644
--- a/test/controls.c
+++ b/test/controls.c
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // 8 june 2019
 #include "test.h"
 
+// TODO replace hardcoded control types of 5 with a constant from the test hook system
+
 struct counts {
 	unsigned int countInit;
 	unsigned int countFree;
@@ -88,3 +90,254 @@ Test(ControlMethodsCalled)
 	if (counts.countInit != 1)
 		TestErrorf("Init() called unexpectedly by uiControlFree()");
 }
+
+Test(NullControlTypeNameIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for name");
+	uiRegisterControlType(NULL, NULL, NULL, 0);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(NullControlVtableIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlVtable");
+	uiRegisterControlType("name", NULL, NULL, 0);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(WrongControlVtableSizeIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	uiControlVtable vtable;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiRegisterControlType(): wrong size 1 for uiControlVtable");
+	memset(&vtable, 0, sizeof (uiControlVtable));
+	vtable.Size = 1;
+	uiRegisterControlType("name", &vtable, NULL, 0);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(ControlVtableWithMIssingInitMethodIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	uiControlVtable vt;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiRegisterControlType(): required uiControlVtable method Init() missing for uiControl type name");
+	vt = vtable;
+	vt.Init = NULL;
+	uiRegisterControlType("name", &vt, NULL, 0);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(ControlVtableWithMIssingFreeMethodIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	uiControlVtable vt;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiRegisterControlType(): required uiControlVtable method Free() missing for uiControl type name");
+	vt = vtable;
+	vt.Free = NULL;
+	uiRegisterControlType("name", &vt, NULL, 0);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(NullControlOSVtableIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlOSVtable");
+	uiRegisterControlType("name", &vtable, NULL, 0);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(CheckingNullControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiCheckControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControl");
+	uiCheckControlType(NULL, uiControlType());
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+// TODO should this test be the same as the following one instead?
+Test(CheckingNonControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	// TODO make sure this is fine; if not, just use the following check instead
+	static char buf[] = "this is not a uiControl but is big enough to at the very least not cause a problem with UB hopefully";
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("TODO");
+	uiCheckControlType(buf, uiControlType());
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(CheckingControlWithoutControlMarkerIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiCheckControlType(): object passed in not a uiControl");
+	uiCheckControlType(uiprivTestHookControlWithInvalidControlMarker(), uiControlType());
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(CheckingControlWithAnUnknownTypeIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiCheckControlType(): unknown uiControl type 5 found in uiControl (this is likely not a real uiControl or some data is corrupt)");
+	uiCheckControlType(uiprivTestHookControlWithInvalidType(), testControlType);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(CheckingControlWithAnUnknownTypeIsProgrammerErrorEvenIfCheckingAgainstuiControlType)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiCheckControlType(): unknown uiControl type 5 found in uiControl (this is likely not a real uiControl or some data is corrupt)");
+	uiCheckControlType(uiprivTestHookControlWithInvalidType(), uiControlType());
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(CheckingForUnknownControlTypeIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	uiControl *c;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiCheckControlType(): unknown uiControl type 5 requested");
+	c = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+	uiCheckControlType(c, 5);
+	uiControlFree(c);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(CheckControlTypeFailsCorrectly)
+{
+	uiControl *c;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiCheckControlType(): wrong uiControl type passed: got TestControl, want TestControl2");
+	c = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+	uiCheckControlType(c, testControlType2);
+	uiControlFree(c);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(NewControlOfTypeControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiNewControl(): uiControlType() passed in when specific control type needed");
+	uiNewControl(uiControlType(), NULL);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(NewControlOfUnknownTypeIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiNewControl(): unknown uiControl type 5 requested");
+	uiNewControl(5, NULL);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(NewControlWithInvalidInitDataIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiNewControl(): invalid init data for TestControl");
+	uiNewControl(testControlType, testControlFailInit);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(FreeingNullControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiControlFree(): invalid null pointer for uiControl");
+	uiControlFree(NULL);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+// TODO go back through all these tests and make the programmer error check as finely scoped as necessary
+Test(FreeingParentedControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	uiControl *c, *d;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiControlFree(): cannot be called on a control with has a parent");
+
+	c = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+	d = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+
+	// this should fail
+	uiControlSetParent(c, d);
+	uiControlFree(c);
+
+	// this should not fail; it's normal cleanup
+	uiControlSetParent(c, NULL);
+	uiControlFree(d);
+	uiControlFree(c);
+
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(SetParentWithNullControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiControlSetParent(): invalid null pointer for uiControl");
+	uiControlSetParent(NULL, NULL);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+// TODO copy this test but first setting and then removing the parent first, instead of just testing the initial state
+Test(RemovingParentFromParentlessControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	uiControl *c;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiControlSetParent(): cannot set a control with no parent to have no parent");
+	c = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+	uiControlSetParent(c, NULL);
+	uiControlFree(c);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+Test(ReparentingAlreadyParentedControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	uiControl *c, *d, *e;
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiControlSetParent(): cannot set a control with a parent to have another parent");
+
+	c = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+	d = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+	e = uiNewControl(testControlType, NULL);
+
+	// this should fail
+	uiControlSetParent(c, d);
+	uiControlSetParent(c, e);
+
+	// this should not (cleanup)
+	uiControlSetParent(c, NULL);
+	uiControlFree(e);
+	uiControlFree(d);
+	uiControlFree(c);
+
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
+
+// TODO define and then test the above but for the same parent
+
+Test(GettingImplDataOfNullControlIsProgrammerError)
+{
+	void *ctx;
+
+	ctx = beginCheckProgrammerError("uiControlImplData(): invalid null pointer for uiControl");
+	uiControlImplData(NULL);
+	endCheckProgrammerError(ctx);
+}
diff --git a/zNEW_test/controls_errors.cpp b/zNEW_events/test_controls_errors.cpp
similarity index 100%
rename from zNEW_test/controls_errors.cpp
rename to zNEW_events/test_controls_errors.cpp