diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index c780b9b8..76ada09f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -661,6 +661,8 @@ src/perl/textui/Makefile.PL
 scripts/Makefile
 scripts/examples/Makefile
 tests/Makefile
+tests/fe-common/Makefile
+tests/fe-common/core/Makefile
 tests/irc/Makefile
 tests/irc/core/Makefile
 docs/Makefile
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 58c348df..e16d190e 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -1 +1 @@
-SUBDIRS = irc
+SUBDIRS = fe-common irc
diff --git a/tests/fe-common/Makefile.am b/tests/fe-common/Makefile.am
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..52770885
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fe-common/Makefile.am
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+SUBDIRS = core
diff --git a/tests/fe-common/core/Makefile.am b/tests/fe-common/core/Makefile.am
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..070b6052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fe-common/core/Makefile.am
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/utils/glib-tap.mk
+
+PACKAGE_STRING=fe-common/core
+
+AM_CPPFLAGS = \
+	-I$(top_srcdir)/src \
+	-I$(top_srcdir)/src/core \
+	$(GLIB_CFLAGS)
+
+test_programs = test-formats
+
+test_formats_CPPFLAGS = \
+	-I$(top_srcdir)/src/fe-common/core \
+	$(AM_CPPFLAGS)
+
+test_formats_DEPENDENCIES = \
+	../../../src/core/libcore.a \
+	../../../src/lib-config/libirssi_config.a
+
+test_formats_LDADD = \
+	../../../src/fe-common/core/libfe_common_core.a \
+	../../../src/core/libcore.a \
+	../../../src/lib-config/libirssi_config.a \
+	@GLIB_LIBS@ \
+	@OPENSSL_LIBS@
+
+test_formats_SOURCES = \
+	test-formats.c
diff --git a/tests/fe-common/core/test-formats.c b/tests/fe-common/core/test-formats.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9ef23fd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fe-common/core/test-formats.c
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#include "common.h"
+#include "formats.h"
+
+#define MAX_LENGTH 5
+
+typedef struct {
+	char const *const description;
+	char const *const input;
+	int const result[ MAX_LENGTH ];
+} format_real_length_test_case;
+
+static void test_format_real_length(const format_real_length_test_case *test);
+
+format_real_length_test_case const format_real_length_fixtures[] = {
+	{
+		.description = "",
+		.input = "%4%w ",
+		.result = { 0, 5, 5, -1 },
+	},
+};
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+	int i;
+
+	g_test_init(&argc, &argv, NULL);
+
+	for (i = 0; i < G_N_ELEMENTS(format_real_length_fixtures); i++) {
+		char *name = g_strdup_printf("/test/format_real_length/%d", i);
+		g_test_add_data_func(name, &format_real_length_fixtures[i], (GTestDataFunc)test_format_real_length);
+		g_free(name);
+	}
+
+	g_test_set_nonfatal_assertions();
+	return g_test_run();
+}
+
+static void test_format_real_length(const format_real_length_test_case *test)
+{
+	int j, len;
+
+	g_test_message("Testing format %s", test->input);
+
+	for (j = 0; test->result[j] != -1; j++) {
+		len = format_real_length(test->input, j);
+		g_assert_cmpint(len, ==, test->result[j]);
+	}
+
+	return;
+}