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How do I make my cpp connect() timeout?

Hi all,

I have an iPhone app that utilizes a cpp class I made that HTTP posts to my server. I am currently trying to detect when the user has entered in a bad IP address. Please see the attached line of code. With some bogus IP addresses, the connect() command goes through and returns n = -1, and I therefore know when to flag an error and tell the user to change the IP.

The problem is, with SOME IP addresses, the connect() doesn't go through and return n= -1 or something like that, it just SITS there on that line, indefinitely. Meanwhile, the app looks like it has crashed.

How do I make the program go on after a certain length of time if the connect() statement doesn't progress on its own?
int n = connect(socketFD, (SOCKA *) & serverAddress, sizeof(serverAddress));

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itsmeandnobodyelse
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You can make the socket non-blocking. Then the connect immediately returns with socket error -1 and errno set to E_WOULDBLOCK (GetLastError() == WSAEWOULDBLOCK on Windows). You, then could call select with timeout to check whether the socket has turned to a writeable state. When select returns timeout you could cancel the connect and output a user message.    
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ASKER

Hi itsmeandnobodyelse,

Could you give an example? And where do I make the socket non-blocking, on my server or on my client?
To set the socket non-blocking do

  unsigned long onoff = 1;
  int rc = ioctlsocket(socketFD, FIONBIO, &onoff);
  if (rc < 0) return rc;  // socket error

if you pass onoff = 0 the socket was reset to blocking mode.

To check for connection is ok you do

    int n = connect(socketFD, (SOCKA *) & serverAddress, sizeof(serverAddress));
    if (n < 0 && errno == E_WOULDBLOCK)
    {
         fd_set writeset = { 0 };
         TIMEVAL timeout = {TIMEOUT_SECS, TIMEOUT_USECS};

         FD_SET(socketFD, &writeset);
         
         int rc = select(0, NULL, &writeset, NULL, &timeout);
         if (rc == 0)  // timeout
         {
         }

    }

>>> And where do I make the socket non-blocking, on my server or on my client?

On the client just before the connection. You should make it reverse to blocking (normally) after getting a connection.
Are there extra include files I need? I am getting error "TIMEVAL was not declared in this scope"
Also,

FIONBIO was not declared
ioctlsocket was not declared
>>>> FIONBIO was not declared
Hmm. It was FIONBIO at Unix and Windows. Can you check your docs for ioctlsocket? Or ctlsocket? I mean to remember that there was a naming mixup with ioctlsocket.

>>>> Are there extra include files I need?

Probably. The TIMEVAL is a struct with two unsigned long. You can make your own structure or check your docs what select is expecting for last argument.

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itsmeandnobodyelse
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yup thats it, thanks