> $sql = ("SELECT * FROM tbl_authenticate WHERE username = > '$PHP_AUTH_USER' AND password = '$PHP_AUTH_PW'"); > There's no need for the parens around the quoted value. > The Problem is on the $sql line when i put in the string to do > the Query with the WHERE clause having the $HTTP_AUTH_USER and > $HTTP_AUTH_PW. When i change it to '$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_USER']' > and '$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_PW']' it does not work and i get a parse error. So the new assignment looks like this: $sql= "SELECT * FROM tbl_authenticate WHERE username = '$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_USER']' AND password = '$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_PW']'"; The problem is that PHP doesn't know what you are trying to do here. "'$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_PW']'" could mean "'(the value of $_SERVER)['HTTP_AUTH_PW']'" or what you intend. To get around that you need to enclose array elements (as well as other complex type structures like $myObject->property ) with braces (or place them outside the quoted value. The former: $sql= "SELECT * FROM tbl_authenticate WHERE username = '{$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_USER']}' AND password = '{$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_PW']}'"; and the later: $sql= "SELECT * FROM tbl_authenticate WHERE username = '".$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_USER']."' AND password = '".$_SERVER['HTTP_AUTH_PW']."'"; I prefer the later since it's a bit easier to read IMO. HTH Rod