How to get a variable name as a string in PHP?

Question

Say i have this PHP code:

$FooBar = \"a string\";

i then need a function like this:

print_var_name($FooBar);

Answer 1

Adapted from answers above for many variables, with good performance, just one $GLOBALS scan for many

function compact_assoc(&$v1='__undefined__', &$v2='__undefined__',&$v3='__undefined__',&$v4='__undefined__',&$v5='__undefined__',&$v6='__undefined__',&$v7='__undefined__',&$v8='__undefined__',&$v9='__undefined__',&$v10='__undefined__',&$v11='__undefined__',&$v12='__undefined__',&$v13='__undefined__',&$v14='__undefined__',&$v15='__undefined__',&$v16='__undefined__',&$v17='__undefined__',&$v18='__undefined__',&$v19='__undefined__'
) {
    $defined_vars=get_defined_vars();

    $result=Array();
    $reverse_key=Array();
    $original_value=Array();
    foreach( $defined_vars as $source_key => $source_value){
        if($source_value==='__undefined__') break;
        $original_value[$source_key]=$$source_key;
        $new_test_value="PREFIX".rand()."SUFIX";
        $reverse_key[$new_test_value]=$source_key;
        $$source_key=$new_test_value;

    }
    foreach($GLOBALS as $key => &$value){
        if( is_string($value) && isset($reverse_key[$value])  ) {
            $result[$key]=&$value;
        }
    }
    foreach( $original_value as $source_key => $original_value){
        $$source_key=$original_value;
    }
    return $result;
}


$a = 'A';
$b = 'B';
$c = '999';
$myArray=Array ('id'=>'id123','name'=>'Foo');
print_r(compact_assoc($a,$b,$c,$myArray) );

//print
Array
(
    [a] => A
    [b] => B
    [c] => 999
    [myArray] => Array
        (
            [id] => id123
            [name] => Foo
        )

)