timeval undefined when using windows.h and WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN

Question

To avoid conflicts with winsock2.h, I want to wrap my include of windows.h with WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN (I undef it after windows.h so as not to interfere with applications that include my headers). Doing this causes timeval to be undefined when winsock2.h isn't included. Including time.h doesn't define timeval either.

How can I get timeval defined (a) without having to include winsock2.h, (b) not requiring applications that include my headers to include winsock2.h before my headers, (c) allowing application to include winsock2.h if they need them, and (d) not having to define timeval myself, because it may already be defined by a header the parent application is including?

Answer 1

I don't think what you want is possible. The timeval struct is defined in winsock.h and winsock2.h, thus you have to include one of those to get the definition. If you don't define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN, windows.h will include winsock.h; this makes it impossible to include winsock2.h. If you define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN, neither of the winsock header files are automatically included thus you don't get the definition for timeval. I think your best option is to require applications to include one of the winsock headers explicitly.