diff --git a/test/controls.c b/test/controls.c
index 0dca0f65..b4bb5309 100644
--- a/test/controls.c
+++ b/test/controls.c
@@ -17,12 +17,18 @@ static void testVtableFree(uiControl *c, void *implData)
 	// do nothing
 }
 
-static void createTestVtable(uiControlVtable *vtable)
+uiControlVtable *allocVtableFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line)
 {
-	memset(vtable, 0, sizeof (uiControlVtable));
-	vtable->Size = sizeof (uiControlVtable);
-	vtable->Init = testVtableInit;
-	vtable->Free = testVtableFree;
+	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 {
diff --git a/test/test.h b/test/test.h
index 8a694852..81914a28 100644
--- a/test/test.h
+++ b/test/test.h
@@ -39,5 +39,7 @@ extern void checkProgrammerErrorFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line, c
 #define checkProgrammerErrorInThread(t, name, f, data, msgWant) checkProgrammerErrorFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__, name, f, data, msgWant, true)
 
 // controls.c
+extern uiControlVtable *allocVtableFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line);
+#define allocVtable(t) allocVtableFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__)
 extern uiControlOSVtable *allocOSVtableFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line);
 #define allocOSVtable(t) allocOSVtableFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__)