Syntax read error: )

Question

I'm trying to set up an emacs environment like this guy, but I keep getting this darn error:

Syntax read error: )

Here's what my init.el file looks like, it's not long, but I have NO idea what any of it means. I'm brand spankin new to lisp.

(add-to-list 'load-path' "~/.emacs.d/auto-complete-1.3.1")
;Load the default configuration
(require 'auto-complete-config')
;Make sure we can find the dictionaries
(add-to-list 'ac-dictionary-directories' "~/.emacs.d/auto-complete-1.3.1/dict")
;Use dictionaries by default
(setq-default ac-sources (add-to-list 'ac-sources' 'ac-source-dictionary'))
(global-auto-complete-mode t)
;Start auto completion after two characters of a word
(setq ac-auto-start 2)
; case sensitivity is important when finding matches
(setq ac-ignore-case nil)

(add-hook 'js-mode-hook'
  (lambda ()
    ;;Scan the file for nested code blocks
    (imenu-add-menubar-index)
    ;;Activate folding mode
    (hs-minor-mode t))

Answer 1

You have unbalanced parentheses in the call to add-hook at the end.

Basically, add an extra ) to the two at the end.

If you type M-x show-paren-mode RET and then position the cursor after a closing parenthesis, it'll highlight the matching opening parenthesis (and vice-versa if you position the cursor on an opening paren).

Answer 2

You have extra quotes at the end of some symbols. In lisp, you quote an expression by putting a single quote (') immediately before it and nowhere else: 'correct, 'incorrect'. String literals are like many other languages, with double quotes both before and after: "a string literal".

Also, the missing paren as pointed out by phils.

In general, you can start emacs with --debug-init to make it do a backtrace on any errors in your init file. In this case it's not very useful because the code isn't even evaluated.