diff --git a/test/errors.h b/test/errors.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8737a376
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/errors.h
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+// 12 june 2019
+#include "test.h"
+
+// Usage:
+// struct checkErrorParams {
+// 	// ...
+// };
+// #define checkErrorHeader "header.h"
+// #include "errors.h"
+// testingTest(TestName)
+// {
+// 	struct checkErrorParams p = ...;
+// 	checkErrors(t, checkErrorCases, &p);
+// }
+// Feel free to redefine checkErrorParams and checkErrorCases as necessary.
+
+#define checkErrorCat(a, b) a ## b
+#define checkErrorCase(call, msgWant) checkErrorCaseFull(__LINE__, call, msgWant)
+
+#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, call, msgWant) \
+	static void checkErrorCat(doCheck, line)(void *data) \
+	{ \
+		struct checkErrorParams *p = (struct checkErrorParams *) data; \
+		(void) p; /* in the event call does not use this */ \
+		call; \
+	}
+#include checkErrorHeader
+#undef checkErrorCaseFull
+
+static const struct checkErrorCase checkErrorCases[] = {
+#define checkErrorCaseFull(line, callstr, msgWant) { callstr, checkErrorCat(doCheck, line), msgWant },
+#include checkErrorHeader
+#undef checkErrorCaseFull
+	{ NULL, NULL, NULL, },
+};
+
+testingTest(EventErrors)
+{
+	struct checkErrorParams p;
+	uiEventOptions opts;
+	size_t i;
+
+	memset(&p, 0, sizeof (struct checkErrorParams));
+	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; checkErrorCases[i].name != NULL; i++)
+		checkProgrammerError(t, checkErrorCases[i].name, checkErrorCases[i].f, &p, checkErrorCases[i].msgWant);
+}
+
+#undef checkErrorCase
+#undef checkErrorCat
diff --git a/test/events_errors.c b/test/events_errors.c
index 9aa0d206..d494750b 100644
--- a/test/events_errors.c
+++ b/test/events_errors.c
@@ -22,16 +22,6 @@ struct checkErrorParams {
 	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 checkErrorParams *p = (struct checkErrorParams *) 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) \
 	{ \
@@ -39,36 +29,18 @@ struct checkErrorParams {
 		(void) p; /* in the event call does not use this */ \
 		call; \
 	} \
-	static void checkCat(doCheck, line)(void *data) \
+	static void checkCat(runEventCheck, line)(struct checkErrorParams *p) \
 	{ \
-		struct checkErrorParams *p = (struct checkErrorParams *) data; \
 		int id; \
 		id = uiEventAddHandler(p->firingEvent, checkCat(eventHandler, line), NULL, p); \
 		uiEventFire(p->firingEvent, NULL, NULL); \
 		uiEventDeleteHandler(p->firingEvent, id); \
-	}
+	} \
+	checkErrorCaseFull(line, checkCat(runEventCheck, line)(p), msgWant)
 #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;
-} checkErrorCases[] = {
-#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)
 {
diff --git a/test/test.h b/test/test.h
index f203714e..b91a1345 100644
--- a/test/test.h
+++ b/test/test.h
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ extern testingSet *beforeTests;
 extern void checkProgrammerErrorFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line, const char *name, void (*f)(void *data), void *data, const char *msgWant, bool inThread);
 #define checkProgrammerError(t, name, f, data, msgWant) checkProgrammerErrorFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__, name, f, data, msgWant, false)
 #define checkProgrammerErrorInThread(t, name, f, data, msgWant) checkProgrammerErrorFull(t, __FILE__, __LINE__, name, f, data, msgWant, true)
+struct checkErrorCase {
+	const char *name;
+	void (*f)(void *data);
+	const char *msgWant;
+};
 
 // controls.c
 extern uiControlVtable *allocVtableFull(testingT *t, const char *file, long line);