How can I find missing or mismatched braces / parens in emacs?

Question

When my code fails to compile and tells me that I am likely missing a closed brace, is there an easy way to find it in emacs?

Answer 1

For languages like C, C++, and Java, the command check-parens will check parens (()), brackets ([]), and braces ({}):

M-x check-parens <RET> 

The point will move to a bracketing character that is unmatched, and the status line will report the problem.

It's a good idea to use this in conjunction with show-paren-mode as others have said.