C Traps and Pitfalls

{{Short description|Computer programming book by Andrew Koenig}}

{{More citations needed|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox book

| name = C Traps and Pitfalls

| author = Andrew Koenig

| image = C Traps and Pitfalls.jpg

| country = United States

| language = English

| genre = Non-fiction

| publisher = Addison-Wesley

| pub_date = January 11, 1989

| media_type = Print (hardcover)

| isbn = 0-201-17928-8

}}

C Traps and Pitfalls is a slim computer programming book by former AT&T Corporation researcher and programmer Andrew Koenig, its first edition still in print in 2017, which outlines the many ways in which beginners and even sometimes quite experienced C programmers can write poor, malfunctioning and dangerous source code.

It evolved from an earlier technical report, by the same name, published internally at Bell Labs.Koenig, Andrew R., [http://literateprogramming.com/ctraps.pdf "C Traps and Pitfalls"], Bell Telephone Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, Technical Memorandum. This, in turn was inspired by a prior paper given by Koenig on "PL/I Traps and Pitfalls" at a SHARE conference in 1977. Koenig wrote that this title was inspired by a 1968 science fiction anthology by Robert Sheckley, "The People Trap and other Pitfalls, Snares, Devices and Delusions, as Well as Two Sniggles and a Contrivance".Cf. Koenig, [http://www.acceleratedcpp.com/authors/koenig/bibliography/pitfalls.preface.html preface to "C Traps and Pitfalls" book].