diff --git a/common/errors.c b/common/errors.c
index 4913537a..82ba26c6 100644
--- a/common/errors.c
+++ b/common/errors.c
@@ -22,33 +22,6 @@ void uiprivInternalError(const char *fmt, ...)
 	uiprivReportError(internalErrorPrefix, buf, internalErrorSuffix, true);
 }
 
-static const char *messages[uiprivNumProgrammerErrors] = {
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorNotInitialized] = "attempt to call %s() before uiInit()",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorWrongThread] = "attempt to call %s() on a thread other than the GUI thread",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorWrongStructSize] = "wrong size %" uiprivSizetPrintf " for %s",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorIndexOutOfRange] = "index %d out of range in %s()",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorNullPointer] = "invalid null pointer for %s passed into %s()",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorIntIDNotFound] = "%s identifier %d not found in %s()",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorBadSenderForEvent] = "attempt to use a %s sender with a %s event in %s()",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorChangingEventDuringFire] = "attempt to change a uiEvent with %s() while it is firing",
-	[uiprivProgrammerErrorRecursiveEventFire] = "attempt to fire a uiEvent while it is already being fired",
-};
-
-static void prepareProgrammerError(char *buf, int size, unsigned int which, va_list ap)
-{
-	int n;
-
-	if (which >= uiprivNumProgrammerErrors)
-		uiprivInternalError("bad programmer error value %u", which);
-	if (messages[which] == NULL)
-		uiprivInternalError("programmer error %u has no message", which);
-	n = uiprivVsnprintf(buf, size, messages[which], ap);
-	if (n < 0)
-		uiprivInternalError("programmer error string for %u has encoding error", which);
-	if (n >= size)
-		uiprivInternalError("programmer error string for %u too long (%d)", which, n);
-}
-
 #define programmerErrorPrefix "libui programmer error"
 // TODO add debugging advice?
 #define programmerErrorSuffix "This likely means you are using libui incorrectly. Check your source code and try again. If you have received this warning in error, contact the libui authors."
@@ -62,13 +35,18 @@ void uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerErrorFunc
 	reportProgrammerErrorTestHook = f;
 }
 
-void uiprivProgrammerError(unsigned int which, ...)
+void uiprivProgrammerError(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	va_list ap;
+	int n;
 	char buf[256];
 
-	va_start(ap, which);
-	prepareProgrammerError(buf, 256, which, ap);
+	va_start(ap, fmt);
+	n = uiprivVsnprintf(buf, 256, fmt, ap);
+	if (n < 0)
+		uiprivInternalError("programmer error has encoding error");
+	if (n >= 256)
+		uiprivInternalError("programmer error string too long (%d)", n);
 	va_end(ap);
 	(*reportProgrammerErrorTestHook)(programmerErrorPrefix, buf, programmerErrorSuffix, false);
 }
diff --git a/common/uipriv.h b/common/uipriv.h
index 761a1219..1039f6fd 100644
--- a/common/uipriv.h
+++ b/common/uipriv.h
@@ -60,21 +60,20 @@ extern bool uiprivSysCheckThread(void);
 uiprivPrintfFunc(
 	extern void uiprivInternalError(const char *fmt, ...),
 	1, 2);
-enum {
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorNotInitialized,		// arguments: uiprivFunc
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorWrongThread,		// arguments: uiprivFunc
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorWrongStructSize,		// arguments: size_t badSize, const char *structName
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorIndexOutOfRange,	// arguments: int badIndex, uiprivFunc
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorNullPointer,			// arguments: const char *paramDesc, uiprivFunc
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorIntIDNotFound,		// arguments: const char *idDesc, int badID, uiprivFunc
-	// TODO type mismatch
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorBadSenderForEvent,	// arguments: const char *senderDesc, const char *eventDesc, uiprivFunc
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorChangingEventDuringFire,		// arguments: uiprivFunc
-	uiprivProgrammerErrorRecursiveEventFire,	// no arguments
-	uiprivNumProgrammerErrors,
-};
-// TODO drop the enum and make the above all format strings
-extern void uiprivProgrammerError(unsigned int which, ...);
+// TODO turn each of these into function-like macros
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorNotInitialized "attempt to call %s() before uiInit()"		// arguments: uiprivFunc
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorWrongThread "attempt to call %s() on a thread other than the GUI thread"		// arguments: uiprivFunc
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorWrongStructSize "wrong size %" uiprivSizetPrintf " for %s"		// arguments: size_t badSize, const char *structName
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorIndexOutOfRange "index %d out of range in %s()"		// arguments: int badIndex, uiprivFunc
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorNullPointer "invalid null pointer for %s passed into %s()"			// arguments: const char *paramDesc, uiprivFunc
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorIntIDNotFound "%s identifier %d not found in %s()"		// arguments: const char *idDesc, int badID, uiprivFunc
+// TODO type mismatch
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorBadSenderForEvent "attempt to use a %s sender with a %s event in %s()"			// arguments: const char *senderDesc, const char *eventDesc, uiprivFunc
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorChangingEventDuringFire "attempt to change a uiEvent with %s() while it is firing"				// arguments: uiprivFunc
+#define uiprivProgrammerErrorRecursiveEventFire "attempt to fire a uiEvent while it is already being fired"		// no arguments
+uiprivPrintfFunc(
+	extern void uiprivProgrammerError(const char *fmt, ...),
+	1, 2);
 extern void uiprivReportError(const char *prefix, const char *msg, const char *suffix, bool internal);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus