Counting braces within a txt file

This is my first experience in programming...so I'm still learning. Please forgive any syntax or language errors. I am trying to write a program that reads from a .txt and verify the proper pairing of braces. For each left brace encountered there must be a right brace to close the statement. If rightCount ever exceeds leftCount, inserts the characters "??" at that point in the output. Here is what I have. Please any suggestions would be useful. It may not be a kosher program...but then again, that's why I'm here.

Code:

Code:

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#include<stdio.h>

int main(void)
{
FILE *fpFileInput;
char ch;
int count = 0;
int getc (FILE *fpFileInput);
int leftCount = 0;
int rightCount = 0;
/* Verify File Access */

if ((fpFileInput = fopen("text.txt", "r")) == NULL)
{
printf ("\ERROR opening input file.\n");
}
while (ch != EOF)
{
ch = getc (fpFileInput);
if (ch == '{') leftCount++;
if (ch == '}') rightCount++;
/* Test BracesCount */

if (rightCount > leftCount) printf ("??");
elseif (leftCount > rightCount) printf ("??");
printf ("%c", ch);
} /* End While */

/* Close the Inupt File */

fclose (fpFileInput);
/* Test and Print Results */

/* NOT DONE HERE*/

if (leftCount > rightCount)
printf ("ERROR: Missing %d right braces.\n",rightCount );
elseif (rightCount > leftCount)
printf ("ERROR: Missing %d left braces.\n",leftCount );
}


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1) You shouldn't post pre-coloured text into code tags. The forum software does it for you.

2) learn how to indent your code in some meaningful way ... Click HERE

3) Your means of tracking unmatched braces is flawed because leftcount will routinely exceed right count every time a block is opened.

4) main() promises to return an integer to the OS... you do not. Here's the minimum C program...

Code:

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int main (void)
  {

    // your code here

    return 0; }

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And before you protest... yes it does matter. Your program may work correctly but if it's not interfacing with the OS correctly it can cause other kinds of errors.


You might investigate a somewhat simpler form of that, tracking only open braces...
a) Each time you find an open brace, increment a counter...
b) Each time you find a closing brace, decrement the same counter...
c) if at the end of the file the counter is not 0... there's a mismatch.

Why is this in here?

Code:

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int getc (FILE *fpFileInput);

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There should already be a function by that name and signature in stdio.h