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efaq: Matching parentheses

 
 5.27 How do I show which parenthesis matches the one I’m looking at?
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 Call ‘show-paren-mode’ in your ‘.emacs’ file:
 
      (show-paren-mode 1)
 
    You can also enable this mode by selecting the ‘Paren Match
 Highlighting’ option from the ‘Options’ menu of the Emacs menu bar at
 the top of any Emacs frame.
 
    Alternatives to this mode include:
 
    • If you’re looking at a right parenthesis (or brace or bracket) you
      can delete it and reinsert it.  Emacs will momentarily move the
      cursor to the matching parenthesis.
 
    • ‘C-M-f’ (‘forward-sexp’) and ‘C-M-b’ (‘backward-sexp’) will skip
      over one set of balanced parentheses, so you can see which
      parentheses match.  (You can train it to skip over balanced
      brackets and braces at the same time by modifying the syntax
      table.)
 
    • Here is some Emacs Lisp that will make the <%> key show the
      matching parenthesis, like in ‘vi’.  In addition, if the cursor
      isn’t over a parenthesis, it simply inserts a % like normal.
 
           ;; By an unknown contributor
 
           (global-set-key "%" 'match-paren)
 
           (defun match-paren (arg)
             "Go to the matching paren if on a paren; otherwise insert %."
             (interactive "p")
             (cond ((looking-at "\\s(") (forward-list 1) (backward-char 1))
                   ((looking-at "\\s)") (forward-char 1) (backward-list 1))
                   (t (self-insert-command (or arg 1)))))
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