diff --git a/test/events.c b/test/events.c
index 97dbdcfe..8c89abe6 100644
--- a/test/events.c
+++ b/test/events.c
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ static void wantBlocked(struct handler *h)
 	h->wantBlocked = true;
 }
 
-// TODO carry over the file nad line numbers somehow
+// TODO carry over the file and line numbers somehow
 static void run(testingT *t, uiEvent *e, void *sender, void *args, struct handler *handlers, int n, int wantRunCount)
 {
 	int i;
@@ -684,36 +684,8 @@ testingTest(EventBlocksHonoredWithDifferentSenders)
 	runGlobalSubtests(t, &p);
 }
 
-static struct {
-	testingT *t;
-	const char *msgWant;
-	bool caught;
-} errorParams;
-
-static void catchProgrammerError(const char *prefix, const char *msg, const char *suffix, bool internal)
-{
-	errorParams.caught = true;
-	if (strstr(prefix, "programmer error") == NULL)
-		testingTErrorf(errorParams.t, "prefix string doesn't contain \"programmer error\": %s", prefix);
-	if (internal)
-		testingTErrorf(errorParams.t, "error is marked internal; should not have been");
-	if (strstr(msg, errorParams.msgWant) == NULL)
-		diff(errorParams.t, "message doesn't contain expected substring",
-			"%s", msg, errorParams.msgWant);
-}
-
 testingTest(EventErrors)
 {
-	uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(catchProgrammerError);
-
-	testingTLogf(t, "*** uiNewEvent(NULL)");
-	errorParams.t = t;
-	errorParams.msgWant = "invalid null pointer for uiEventOptions passed into uiNewEvent()";
-	errorParams.caught = false;
-	if (uiNewEvent(NULL) != NULL)
-		testingTErrorf(t, "uiNewEvent(NULL) returned non-NULL; wanted NULL");
-	if (!errorParams.caught)
-		testingTErrorf(t, "uiNewEvent(NULL) did not throw a programmer error; should have");
-
-	uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(NULL);
+	testProgrammerError(t, uiNewEvent(NULL),
+		"invalid null pointer for uiEventOptions passed into uiNewEvent()");
 }
diff --git a/test/main.c b/test/main.c
index 805e9f00..77a7fa3c 100644
--- a/test/main.c
+++ b/test/main.c
@@ -8,6 +8,20 @@ void timeoutMain(void *data)
 	uiMain();
 }
 
+struct errorParams errorParams;
+
+void catchProgrammerError(const char *prefix, const char *msg, const char *suffix, bool internal)
+{
+	errorParams.caught = true;
+	if (strstr(prefix, "programmer error") == NULL)
+		testingTErrorf(errorParams.t, "%s prefix string doesn't contain \"programmer error\": %s", errorParams.exprstr, prefix);
+	if (internal)
+		testingTErrorf(errorParams.t, "%s error is marked internal; should not have been", errorParams.exprstr);
+	if (strstr(msg, errorParams.msgWant) == NULL)
+		diff_2str(errorParams.t, errorParams.exprstr, "message doesn't contain expected substring",
+			"%s", msg, errorParams.msgWant);
+}
+
 static void runSetORingResults(testingSet *set, const struct testingOptions *options, int *anyRun, int *anyFailed)
 {
 	int ar, af;
diff --git a/test/test.h b/test/test.h
index 98d21979..8f957afe 100644
--- a/test/test.h
+++ b/test/test.h
@@ -25,6 +25,27 @@ extern void timeoutMain(void *data);
 		testingTErrorf(t, "uiMain() timed out (%s)", timeoutstr); \
 	} \
 }
+struct errorParams {
+	testingT *t;
+	// TODO this shouldn't have a colon in it but the diff() macros above necessitate it
+	const char *exprstr;
+	const char *msgWant;
+	bool caught;
+};
+extern struct errorParams errorParams;
+extern void catchProgrammerError(const char *prefix, const char *msg, const char *suffix, bool internal);
+#define testProgrammerError(tt, expr, mw) { \
+	testingTLogf(t, "*** %s", #expr); \
+	uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(catchProgrammerError); \
+	errorParams.t = tt; \
+	errorParams.exprstr = #expr ":"; \
+	errorParams.msgWant = mw; \
+	errorParams.caught = false; \
+	expr; \
+	if (!errorParams.caught) \
+		testingTErrorf(t, "%s did not throw a programmer error; should have", #expr); \
+	uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(NULL); \
+}
 
 // init.c
 extern testingSet *beforeTests;