diff --git a/test/events.c b/test/events.c
index e0e541f7..0aca304b 100644
--- a/test/events.c
+++ b/test/events.c
@@ -915,97 +915,3 @@ testingTest(EventInvalidateSender)
 	p.impl = eventInvalidateSenderImpl;
 	runArgsSubtests(t, &p);
 }
-
-struct checkEventErrorsParams {
-	uiEvent *globalEvent;
-	uiEvent *nonglobalEvent;
-	uiEventOptions eventOptionsBadSize;
-	uiEvent *eventPlaceholder;
-	uiEventHandler handlerPlaceholder;
-	void *senderPlaceholder;
-	void *argsPlaceholder;
-	void *dataPlaceholder;
-	void *nonNullSender;
-	int idPlaceholder;
-	bool blockedPlaceholder;
-	uiEvent *firingEvent;
-	uiEvent *eventWithHandlers;
-};
-
-// TODO clean up these macros
-#define checkCat(a, b) a ## b
-#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, call, msgWant) \
-	static void checkCat(doCheck, line)(void *data) \
-	{ \
-		struct checkEventErrorsParams *p = (struct checkEventErrorsParams *) data; \
-		(void) p; /* in the event call does not use this */ \
-		call; \
-	}
-#define checkErrorCase(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, call, msgWant)
-#define checkErrorCaseWhileFiringFull(line, call, msgWant) \
-	static void checkCat(eventHandler, line)(void *sender, void *args, void *data) \
-	{ \
-		struct checkEventErrorsParams *p = (struct checkEventErrorsParams *) data; \
-		(void) p; /* in the event call does not use this */ \
-		call; \
-	} \
-	static void checkCat(doCheck, line)(void *data) \
-	{ \
-		struct checkEventErrorsParams *p = (struct checkEventErrorsParams *) data; \
-		int id; \
-		id = uiEventAddHandler(p->firingEvent, checkCat(eventHandler, line), NULL, p); \
-		uiEventFire(p->firingEvent, NULL, NULL); \
-		uiEventDeleteHandler(p->firingEvent, id); \
-	}
-#define checkErrorCaseWhileFiring(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseWhileFiringFull(__LINE__, call, msgWant)
-#include "events_errors.h"
-#undef checkErrorCaseWhileFiringFull
-#undef checkErrorCaseWhileFiring
-#undef checkErrorCaseFull
-#undef checkErrorCase
-
-static const struct {
-	const char *name;
-	void (*f)(void *data);
-	const char *msgWant;
-} eventErrorCases[] = {
-#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, callstr, msgWant) { callstr, checkCat(doCheck, line), msgWant },
-#define checkErrorCase(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, #call, msgWant)
-#define checkErrorCaseWhileFiring(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, #call, msgWant)
-#include "events_errors.h"
-#undef checkErrorCaseWhileFiring
-#undef checkErrorCase
-#undef checkErrorCaseFull
-#undef checkCat
-	{ NULL, NULL, NULL, },
-};
-
-testingTest(EventErrors)
-{
-	struct checkEventErrorsParams p;
-	uiEventOptions opts;
-	size_t i;
-
-	memset(&p, 0, sizeof (struct checkEventErrorsParams));
-	p.eventOptionsBadSize.Size = 1;
-	memset(&opts, 0, sizeof (uiEventOptions));
-	opts.Size = sizeof (uiEventOptions);
-	opts.Global = true;
-	p.globalEvent = uiNewEvent(&opts);
-	testingTDefer(t, deferEventFree, p.globalEvent);
-	opts.Global = false;
-	p.nonglobalEvent = uiNewEvent(&opts);
-	testingTDefer(t, deferEventFree, p.nonglobalEvent);
-	p.eventPlaceholder = p.globalEvent;
-	p.handlerPlaceholder = handler;
-	p.nonNullSender = &p;
-	p.firingEvent = p.globalEvent;
-	p.eventWithHandlers = uiNewEvent(&opts);
-	// TODO properly free this
-	uiEventAddHandler(p.eventWithHandlers, handler, &p, &p);
-
-	for (i = 0; eventErrorCases[i].name != NULL; i++)
-		checkProgrammerError(t, eventErrorCases[i].name, eventErrorCases[i].f, &p, eventErrorCases[i].msgWant);
-}
-
-// TODO check deleting each internal event
diff --git a/test/events_errors.c b/test/events_errors.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d41feab1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/events_errors.c
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+// 12 june 2019
+#include "test.h"
+
+static void dummyHandler(void *sender, void *args, void *data)
+{
+	// do nothing
+}
+
+// TODO deduplicate this with events.c
+static void deferEventFree(testingT *t, void *data)
+{
+	uiEventFree((uiEvent *) data);
+}
+
+struct checkEventErrorsParams {
+	uiEvent *globalEvent;
+	uiEvent *nonglobalEvent;
+	uiEventOptions eventOptionsBadSize;
+	uiEvent *eventPlaceholder;
+	uiEventHandler handlerPlaceholder;
+	void *senderPlaceholder;
+	void *argsPlaceholder;
+	void *dataPlaceholder;
+	void *nonNullSender;
+	int idPlaceholder;
+	bool blockedPlaceholder;
+	uiEvent *firingEvent;
+	uiEvent *eventWithHandlers;
+};
+
+// TODO clean up these macros
+#define checkCat(a, b) a ## b
+#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, call, msgWant) \
+	static void checkCat(doCheck, line)(void *data) \
+	{ \
+		struct checkEventErrorsParams *p = (struct checkEventErrorsParams *) data; \
+		(void) p; /* in the event call does not use this */ \
+		call; \
+	}
+#define checkErrorCase(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, call, msgWant)
+#define checkErrorCaseWhileFiringFull(line, call, msgWant) \
+	static void checkCat(eventHandler, line)(void *sender, void *args, void *data) \
+	{ \
+		struct checkEventErrorsParams *p = (struct checkEventErrorsParams *) data; \
+		(void) p; /* in the event call does not use this */ \
+		call; \
+	} \
+	static void checkCat(doCheck, line)(void *data) \
+	{ \
+		struct checkEventErrorsParams *p = (struct checkEventErrorsParams *) data; \
+		int id; \
+		id = uiEventAddHandler(p->firingEvent, checkCat(eventHandler, line), NULL, p); \
+		uiEventFire(p->firingEvent, NULL, NULL); \
+		uiEventDeleteHandler(p->firingEvent, id); \
+	}
+#define checkErrorCaseWhileFiring(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseWhileFiringFull(__LINE__, call, msgWant)
+#include "events_errors.h"
+#undef checkErrorCaseWhileFiringFull
+#undef checkErrorCaseWhileFiring
+#undef checkErrorCaseFull
+#undef checkErrorCase
+
+static const struct {
+	const char *name;
+	void (*f)(void *data);
+	const char *msgWant;
+} eventErrorCases[] = {
+#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, callstr, msgWant) { callstr, checkCat(doCheck, line), msgWant },
+#define checkErrorCase(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, #call, msgWant)
+#define checkErrorCaseWhileFiring(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, #call, msgWant)
+#include "events_errors.h"
+#undef checkErrorCaseWhileFiring
+#undef checkErrorCase
+#undef checkErrorCaseFull
+#undef checkCat
+	{ NULL, NULL, NULL, },
+};
+
+testingTest(EventErrors)
+{
+	struct checkEventErrorsParams p;
+	uiEventOptions opts;
+	size_t i;
+
+	memset(&p, 0, sizeof (struct checkEventErrorsParams));
+	p.eventOptionsBadSize.Size = 1;
+	memset(&opts, 0, sizeof (uiEventOptions));
+	opts.Size = sizeof (uiEventOptions);
+	opts.Global = true;
+	p.globalEvent = uiNewEvent(&opts);
+	testingTDefer(t, deferEventFree, p.globalEvent);
+	opts.Global = false;
+	p.nonglobalEvent = uiNewEvent(&opts);
+	testingTDefer(t, deferEventFree, p.nonglobalEvent);
+	p.eventPlaceholder = p.globalEvent;
+	p.handlerPlaceholder = dummyHandler;
+	p.nonNullSender = &p;
+	p.firingEvent = p.globalEvent;
+	p.eventWithHandlers = uiNewEvent(&opts);
+	// TODO properly free this
+	uiEventAddHandler(p.eventWithHandlers, dummyHandler, &p, &p);
+
+	for (i = 0; eventErrorCases[i].name != NULL; i++)
+		checkProgrammerError(t, eventErrorCases[i].name, eventErrorCases[i].f, &p, eventErrorCases[i].msgWant);
+}
+
+// TODO check deleting each internal event
diff --git a/test/meson.build b/test/meson.build
index 0bf65449..59c35e9d 100644
--- a/test/meson.build
+++ b/test/meson.build
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ libui_test_sources = [
 	'controls.c',
 	'errors.c',
 	'events.c',
+	'events_errors.c',
 	'initmain.c',
 	'main.c',
 	'noinitwrongthread.c',