diff --git a/src/vim.h b/src/vim.h
index 535a18d..d882e50 100644
--- a/src/vim.h
+++ b/src/vim.h
@@ -1575,6 +1575,14 @@
 #define LALLOC_CLEAR_MULT(type, count)  (type *)lalloc_clear(sizeof(type) * (count), FALSE)
 #define LALLOC_MULT(type, count)  (type *)lalloc(sizeof(type) * (count), FALSE)
 
+#ifdef HAVE_MEMSET
+# define vim_memset(ptr, c, size)   memset((ptr), (c), (size))
+#else
+void *vim_memset(void *, int, size_t);
+#endif
+#define CLEAR_FIELD(field)  vim_memset(&(field), 0, sizeof(field))
+#define CLEAR_POINTER(ptr)  vim_memset((ptr), 0, sizeof(*(ptr)))
+
 /*
  * defines to avoid typecasts from (char_u *) to (char *) and back
  * (vim_strchr() and vim_strrchr() are now in alloc.c)
@@ -1708,12 +1716,6 @@
 #define fnamecmp(x, y) vim_fnamecmp((char_u *)(x), (char_u *)(y))
 #define fnamencmp(x, y, n) vim_fnamencmp((char_u *)(x), (char_u *)(y), (size_t)(n))
 
-#ifdef HAVE_MEMSET
-# define vim_memset(ptr, c, size)   memset((ptr), (c), (size))
-#else
-void *vim_memset(void *, int, size_t);
-#endif
-
 #if defined(UNIX) || defined(FEAT_GUI) || defined(VMS) \
 	|| defined(FEAT_CLIENTSERVER)
 # define USE_INPUT_BUF