WHERE field = a range of values (value

I'd like to check a table to retrieve rows for which one field equals one of a set of values .... #get products(fields) in category list

    while ($row = $db_connect->fetch_array($productsincategory_list)) {
       $product = $row ['selection'];
       $fields = "$fields" . " $product,";
    }
    $fields = substr($fields,'',-1);

###### echo "$fields<br><br>"; ###### $fields = Prod1, ProD2, Prod3 This ... $db_connect->fetch_array($sql_result); $store_result = $db_connect->query("select * from $sql_usertable WHERE (($sql_usertable.product1 = '($fields)')||( $sql_usertable.product2 = '($fields)')||($sql_usertable.product3 = '($fields)')) order by id desc limit $entry, $entries_per_page"); doesn't work. It selects nothing (obviously because no single field equals ' (Prod1, Prod2, Prod3) '). But it's the idea. Can I change the: = '($fields)' syntax I'm trying? The actual select checks more fields for this or that and gets more complicated so I'd like to keep this as simple as possible. I would like to do this without UNIONS (in one pass) if possible (my dbsql.php doesn't seem to go beyond regular query). -- Using Opera's revolutionary email client: http://www.opera.com/mail/