note 41909 modified in zend.variables by gwynne

If you want to free zval, you can do this: { zval *new_var; /* allocate and initialize new container */ MAKE_STD_ZVAL(new_var); /* set type and variable contents here, see the following sections */ ZVAL_STRING(new_var, "123456", 1); /* introduce this variable by the name "new_variable_name" into the symbol table */ zend_hash_update( EG(active_symbol_table), "new_var", strlen("new_var") + 1, &new_var, sizeof(zval *), NULL ); zend_hash_del( EG(active_symbol_table), "new_var", strlen("new_var") + 1); FREE_ZVAL(new_var); } --was-- If you want to free zval, you can do this: { zval *new_var; /* allocate and initialize new container */ MAKE_STD_ZVAL(new_var); /* set type and variable contents here, see the following sections */ ZVAL_STRING(new_var, "123456", 1); /* introduce this variable by the name "new_variable_name" into the symbol table */ zend_hash_update( EG(active_symbol_table), "new_var", strlen("new_var") + 1, &new_var, sizeof(zval *), NULL ); zend_hash_del( EG(active_symbol_table), "new_var", strlen("new_var") + 1); FREE_ZVAL(new_var); } http://php.net/manual/en/zend.variables.php