Code not entering if statement

[threeFeathers]

$name value is coming through from form submission.

<?php
if(isset($_POST['Submit']))
{
$name=$_POST["Name"];

}

If statement is not working properly. Whether $name is empty or not, it adds the where clause.

?>

<?php
    $sql = "SELECT * FROM dirCsv_500" ?>
 <?php if (!empty($name)) {
    " where name like '%".$name."%'";
} ?>;

[requinix]

That code will never add the WHERE to the query.

What's your actual code?

[Phi11W]

I'm not surprised you can't see what's going on wrong, with all the chopping and changing back and forth between HTML and PHP. 

Keep it Simple: 

<?php
if(isset($_POST['Submit'])){
  $name=$_POST["Name"];
}
. . . 
  $sql = 'SELECT * FROM dirCsv_500';  	/* Added a missing ";" here */ 
  if (!empty($name)) {
    $sql .= " where name like '%".$name."%'"; 	/* Added string concatenation */ 
  }
?> 	/* Removed an extraneous ";" here that's actually in the HTML, not the PHP */ 

I think I can see what you're trying to do,  but that's just not how you write PHP.  
You can "duck in and out" to embed bits of HTML in between the PHP code,  but you can't embed bits of PHP code in between the PHP code! 

There's other things to worry about here as well. 

From a database perspective, your code will perform poorly on a large table, given the leading wildcard in your search criteria, e.g. '%fred%'. 
The database is unable to use an index for this and will scan the table serially (i.e. slowly). 

Even before that, though, you have an even bigger problem - you are wide open to a SQL Injection Attack. 
Obligatory XKCD Reference - Little Bobby Tables. 

Look at using Prepared Statements for your SQL to [partly] protect yourself against this. 

Regards, 
   Phill  W.