diff --git a/test/controls.c b/test/controls.c
index 4dbda774..b94f07c4 100644
--- a/test/controls.c
+++ b/test/controls.c
@@ -17,72 +17,8 @@ static void testVtableFree(uiControl *c, void *implData)
 	// do nothing
 }
 
-uiControlVtable *allocVtableFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line)
-{
-	uiControlVtable *v;
-
-	v = (uiControlVtable *) malloc(sizeof (uiControlVtable));
-	if (v == NULL)
-		testingTFatalfFull(t, file, line, "memory exhausted allocating uiControlVtable");
-	memset(v, 0, sizeof (uiControlVtable));
-	v->Size = sizeof (uiControlVtable);
-	v->Init = testVtableInit;
-	v->Free = testVtableFree;
-	return v;
-}
-
-struct checkControlErrorsParams {
-	const char *namePlaceholder;
-	uiControlVtable *vtablePlaceholder;
-	uiControlOSVtable *osVtablePlaceholder;
-	size_t implDataSizePlaceholder;
-	uiControlVtable *vtableBadSize;
+const uiControlVtable dummyVtable = {
+	Size:		sizeof (uiControlVtable),
+	Init:		testVtableInit,
+	Free:		testVtableFree,
 };
-
-// TODO clean up these macros
-#define checkCat(a, b) a ## b
-#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, call, msgWant) \
-	static void checkCat(doCheck, line)(void *data) \
-	{ \
-		struct checkControlErrorsParams *p = (struct checkControlErrorsParams *) data; \
-		(void) p; /* in the event call does not use this */ \
-		call; \
-	}
-#define checkErrorCase(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, call, msgWant)
-#include "controls_errors.h"
-#undef checkErrorCaseFull
-#undef checkErrorCase
-
-static const struct {
-	const char *name;
-	void (*f)(void *data);
-	const char *msgWant;
-} controlErrorCases[] = {
-#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, callstr, msgWant) { callstr, checkCat(doCheck, line), msgWant },
-#define checkErrorCase(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, #call, msgWant)
-#include "controls_errors.h"
-#undef checkErrorCase
-#undef checkErrorCaseFull
-#undef checkCat
-	{ NULL, NULL, NULL, },
-};
-
-testingTest(ControlErrors)
-{
-	struct checkControlErrorsParams p;
-	uiControlVtable vtableBadSize;
-	size_t i;
-
-	memset(&p, 0, sizeof (struct checkControlErrorsParams));
-	p.namePlaceholder = "name";
-	p.vtablePlaceholder = allocVtable(t);
-	testingTDefer(t, deferFree, p.vtablePlaceholder);
-	// TODO osVtablePlaceholder
-	p.implDataSizePlaceholder = sizeof (struct testImplData);
-	memset(&vtableBadSize, 0, sizeof (uiControlVtable));
-	vtableBadSize.Size = 1;
-	p.vtableBadSize = &vtableBadSize;
-
-	for (i = 0; controlErrorCases[i].name != NULL; i++)
-		checkProgrammerError(t, controlErrorCases[i].name, controlErrorCases[i].f, &p, controlErrorCases[i].msgWant);
-}
diff --git a/test/controls_errors.cpp b/test/controls_errors.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4b5930da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/controls_errors.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// 11 june 2019
+#include "test.h"
+
+static const struct checkErrorCase cases[] = {
+	{
+		"uiRegisterControlType() with NULL name",
+		[](void) {
+			uiRegisterControlType(NULL, NULL, NULL, 0);
+		},
+		"uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlOSVtable",
+	},
+	{
+		"uiRegisterControlType() with NULL vtable",
+		[](void) {
+			uiRegisterControlType("name", NULL, NULL, 0);
+		},
+		"uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlVtable",
+	},
+	{
+		"uiRegisterControlType() with vtable with wrong size",
+		[](void) {
+			uiControlVtable vtable;
+	
+			memset(&vtable, 0, sizeof (uiControlVtable));
+			vtable.Size = 1;
+			uiRegisterControlSize("name", &vtable, NULL, 0);
+		},
+		"uiRegisterControlType(): wrong size 1 for uiControlVtable",
+	},
+	// TODO individual methods
+	{
+		"uiRegisterControlType() with NULL OS vtable",
+		[](void) {
+			uiRegisterControlType("name", &testVtable, NULL, 0);
+		},
+		"uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlOSVtable",
+	},
+	// OS vtable sizes are tested per-OS
+	{ NULL, NULL, NULL },
+};
+
+testingTest(ControlErrors)
+{
+	checkProgrammerErrors(t, cases);
+}
diff --git a/test/controls_errors.h b/test/controls_errors.h
deleted file mode 100644
index 4cae04f0..00000000
--- a/test/controls_errors.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-// 11 june 2019
-
-checkErrorCase(uiRegisterControlType(NULL, p->vtablePlaceholder, p->osVtablePlaceholder, p->implDataSizePlaceholder),
-	"uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlOSVtable")
-checkErrorCase(uiRegisterControlType(p->namePlaceholder, NULL, p->osVtablePlaceholder, p->implDataSizePlaceholder),
-	"uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlVtable")
-checkErrorCase(uiRegisterControlType(p->namePlaceholder, p->vtableBadSize, p->osVtablePlaceholder, p->implDataSizePlaceholder),
-	"uiRegisterControlType(): wrong size 1 for uiControlVtable")
-// TODO individual methods
-checkErrorCase(uiRegisterControlType(p->namePlaceholder, p->vtablePlaceholder, NULL, p->implDataSizePlaceholder),
-	"uiRegisterControlType(): invalid null pointer for uiControlOSVtable")
-// OS vtable sizes are tested per-OS
diff --git a/test/meson.build b/test/meson.build
index bfe47997..a96978af 100644
--- a/test/meson.build
+++ b/test/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 # 23 march 2019
 
 libui_test_sources = [
-#	'controls.c',
+	'controls.c',
+	'controls_errors.cpp',
 	'errors.c',
 	'events.c',
 	'events_errors.cpp',
diff --git a/test/test.h b/test/test.h
index 9816ae7b..7a30687d 100644
--- a/test/test.h
+++ b/test/test.h
@@ -50,8 +50,7 @@ extern void checkProgrammerErrorsFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line,
 #define checkProgrammerErrorsInThread(t, cases) checkProgrammerErrorsFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__, cases, true)
 
 // controls.c
-extern uiControlVtable *allocVtableFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line);
-#define allocVtable(t) allocVtableFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__)
+extern const uiControlVtable testVtable;
 extern uiControlOSVtable *allocOSVtableFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line);
 #define allocOSVtable(t) allocOSVtableFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__)