(PHP 4, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8)
putenv — Sets the value of an environment variable
$assignment): bool
   Adds assignment to the server environment.  The
   environment variable will only exist for the duration of the current
   request. At the end of the request the environment is restored to its
   original state.
  
assignment
       The setting, like "FOO=BAR"
      
   Returns true on success or false on failure.
  
Example #1 Setting an environment variable
<?php
putenv("UNIQID=$uniqid");
?>