diff --git a/libqpdf/NNTree.cc b/libqpdf/NNTree.cc
index a888f42f..3ab18190 100644
--- a/libqpdf/NNTree.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/NNTree.cc
@@ -208,9 +208,8 @@ NNTreeIterator::resetLimits(
             }
         }
         if (first.isInitialized() && last.isInitialized()) {
-            auto limits = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
-            limits.appendItem(first);
-            limits.appendItem(last);
+            auto limits =
+                QPDFObjectHandle::newArray().appendItem(first).appendItem(last);
             auto olimits = node.getKey("/Limits");
             if (olimits.isArray() && (olimits.getArrayNItems() == 2)) {
                 auto ofirst = olimits.getArrayItem(0);
diff --git a/libtests/nntree.cc b/libtests/nntree.cc
index 31b1bd42..f999e2e7 100644
--- a/libtests/nntree.cc
+++ b/libtests/nntree.cc
@@ -62,13 +62,13 @@ test_bsearch()
     auto mk = [&q](std::vector<int> const& v) {
         auto nums = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
         for (auto i : v) {
-            nums.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(i));
-            nums.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(
-                "-" + QUtil::int_to_string(i) + "-"));
+            nums.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(i))
+                .appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(
+                    "-" + QUtil::int_to_string(i) + "-"));
         }
         auto limits = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
-        limits.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(v.at(0)));
-        limits.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(v.at(v.size() - 1)));
+        limits.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(v.at(0)))
+            .appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(v.at(v.size() - 1)));
         auto node = q.makeIndirectObject(QPDFObjectHandle::newDictionary());
         node.replaceKey("/Nums", nums).replaceKey("/Limits", limits);
         return node;
@@ -168,8 +168,8 @@ test_depth()
                     int val =
                         (((((i1 * NITEMS) + i2) * NITEMS) + i3) * NITEMS) + i4;
                     std::string str = QUtil::int_to_string(10 * val, 6);
-                    items.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(str));
-                    items.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString("val " + str));
+                    items.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(str))
+                        .appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString("val " + str));
                     if (i4 == 0) {
                         first = str;
                     } else if (i4 == NITEMS - 1) {
@@ -178,21 +178,23 @@ test_depth()
                 }
                 auto limits = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
                 n3.replaceKey("/Limits", limits);
-                limits.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(first));
-                limits.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(last));
+                limits.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(first))
+                    .appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newString(last));
             }
             auto limits = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
             n2.replaceKey("/Limits", limits);
-            limits.appendItem(
-                k2.getArrayItem(0).getKey("/Limits").getArrayItem(0));
-            limits.appendItem(
-                k2.getArrayItem(NITEMS - 1).getKey("/Limits").getArrayItem(1));
+            limits
+                .appendItem(
+                    k2.getArrayItem(0).getKey("/Limits").getArrayItem(0))
+                .appendItem(k2.getArrayItem(NITEMS - 1)
+                                .getKey("/Limits")
+                                .getArrayItem(1));
         }
         auto limits = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
         n1.replaceKey("/Limits", limits);
-        limits.appendItem(k1.getArrayItem(0).getKey("/Limits").getArrayItem(0));
-        limits.appendItem(
-            k1.getArrayItem(NITEMS - 1).getKey("/Limits").getArrayItem(1));
+        limits.appendItem(k1.getArrayItem(0).getKey("/Limits").getArrayItem(0))
+            .appendItem(
+                k1.getArrayItem(NITEMS - 1).getKey("/Limits").getArrayItem(1));
     }
 
     QPDFNameTreeObjectHelper nh(n0, q);
diff --git a/qpdf/test_driver.cc b/qpdf/test_driver.cc
index 03d5d57d..00d87d6a 100644
--- a/qpdf/test_driver.cc
+++ b/qpdf/test_driver.cc
@@ -912,10 +912,8 @@ test_24(QPDF& pdf, char const* arg2)
 
     QPDFObjectHandle array1 = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
     QPDFObjectHandle array2 = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
-    array1.appendItem(res2);
-    array1.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(1));
-    array2.appendItem(res1);
-    array2.appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(2));
+    array1.appendItem(res2).appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(1));
+    array2.appendItem(res1).appendItem(QPDFObjectHandle::newInteger(2));
     // Make sure trying to ask questions about a reserved object
     // doesn't break it.
     if (res1.isArray()) {
@@ -1087,12 +1085,11 @@ test_27(QPDF& pdf, char const* arg2)
         pdf.getTrailer()
             .replaceKey("/QTest", pdf.copyForeignObject(qtest))
             .replaceKey("/QTest2", QPDFObjectHandle::newArray());
-        pdf.getTrailer().getKey("/QTest2").appendItem(
-            pdf.copyForeignObject(s1));
-        pdf.getTrailer().getKey("/QTest2").appendItem(
-            pdf.copyForeignObject(s2));
-        pdf.getTrailer().getKey("/QTest2").appendItem(
-            pdf.copyForeignObject(s3));
+        pdf.getTrailer()
+            .getKey("/QTest2")
+            .appendItem(pdf.copyForeignObject(s1))
+            .appendItem(pdf.copyForeignObject(s2))
+            .appendItem(pdf.copyForeignObject(s3));
     }
 
     QPDFWriter w(pdf, "a.pdf");
@@ -2099,10 +2096,13 @@ test_55(QPDF& pdf, char const* arg2)
     std::vector<QPDFPageObjectHelper> pages =
         QPDFPageDocumentHelper(pdf).getAllPages();
     QPDFObjectHandle qtest = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
-    for (std::vector<QPDFPageObjectHelper>::iterator iter = pages.begin();
-         iter != pages.end();
-         ++iter) {
-        QPDFPageObjectHelper& ph(*iter);
+    for (auto& ph: pages) {
+        // Note: using fluent appendItem causes a test failure with
+        // MSVC 19.31.31107, which appears to evaluate the argument to
+        // the second appendItem before the first. Since these
+        // arguments have the side effect of creating objects, the
+        // object numbers end up being different even though the
+        // resulting file is semantically correct.
         qtest.appendItem(ph.getFormXObjectForPage());
         qtest.appendItem(ph.getFormXObjectForPage(false));
     }
diff --git a/qpdf/test_large_file.cc b/qpdf/test_large_file.cc
index e264e831..32494426 100644
--- a/qpdf/test_large_file.cc
+++ b/qpdf/test_large_file.cc
@@ -199,18 +199,18 @@ create_pdf(char const* filename)
 
     QPDFObjectHandle procset =
         pdf.makeIndirectObject(QPDFObjectHandle::newArray());
-    procset.appendItem(newName("/PDF"));
-    procset.appendItem(newName("/Text"));
-    procset.appendItem(newName("/ImageC"));
+    procset.appendItem(newName("/PDF"))
+        .appendItem(newName("/Text"))
+        .appendItem(newName("/ImageC"));
 
     QPDFObjectHandle rfont = QPDFObjectHandle::newDictionary();
     rfont.replaceKey("/F1", font);
 
     QPDFObjectHandle mediabox = QPDFObjectHandle::newArray();
-    mediabox.appendItem(newInteger(0));
-    mediabox.appendItem(newInteger(0));
-    mediabox.appendItem(newInteger(612));
-    mediabox.appendItem(newInteger(792));
+    mediabox.appendItem(newInteger(0))
+        .appendItem(newInteger(0))
+        .appendItem(newInteger(612))
+        .appendItem(newInteger(792));
 
     QPDFPageDocumentHelper dh(pdf);
     for (size_t pageno = 1; pageno <= npages; ++pageno) {