Timeout Function

Probably this dummy program might help you:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <sys/time.h>
#include <sys/types.h>

#define WAIT 3

int main ()
{
    char            name[20] = {0}; // in case of single character input
    fd_set          input_set;
    struct timeval  timeout;
    int             ready_for_reading = 0;
    int             read_bytes = 0;
    
    /* Empty the FD Set */
    FD_ZERO(&input_set );
    /* Listen to the input descriptor */
    FD_SET(STDIN_FILENO, &input_set);

    /* Waiting for some seconds */
    timeout.tv_sec = WAIT;    // WAIT seconds
    timeout.tv_usec = 0;    // 0 milliseconds

    /* Invitation for the user to write something */
    printf("Enter Username: (in %d seconds)\n", WAIT);
    printf("Time start now!!!\n");

    /* Listening for input stream for any activity */
    ready_for_reading = select(1, &input_set, NULL, NULL, &timeout);
    /* Here, first parameter is number of FDs in the set, 
     * second is our FD set for reading,
     * third is the FD set in which any write activity needs to updated,
     * which is not required in this case. 
     * Fourth is timeout
     */

    if (ready_for_reading == -1) {
        /* Some error has occured in input */
        printf("Unable to read your input\n");
        return -1;
    } 

    if (ready_for_reading) {
        read_bytes = read(0, name, 19);
        if(name[read_bytes-1]=='\n'){
        --read_bytes;
        name[read_bytes]='\0';
        }
        if(read_bytes==0){
            printf("You just hit enter\n");
        } else {
            printf("Read, %d bytes from input : %s \n", read_bytes, name);
        }
    } else {
        printf(" %d Seconds are over - no data input \n", WAIT);
    }

    return 0;
}

Update:
This is now tested code.

Also, I have taken hints from man for select. This manual already contains a code snippet which is being used to read from the terminal and timeout in 5 seconds in case of no activity.

Just a brief explanation in case the code is not well written enough:

1. We add the input stream (fd = 1) to the FD set.
2. We initiate select call to listen to this FD set created for
   any activity.
3. In case any activity occurs within the timeout period, that is
   read through the read call.
4. In case there was no activity, timeout occurs.

Hope this helps.