diff --git a/hl/c++/examples/ptExampleVL.cpp b/hl/c++/examples/ptExampleVL.cpp
index 1b41bfbe94..32eeb43b19 100644
--- a/hl/c++/examples/ptExampleVL.cpp
+++ b/hl/c++/examples/ptExampleVL.cpp
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 
 int main(void)
 {
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
     herr_t err;     /* Return value from function calls */
     hid_t fileID;   /* HDF5 identifier for file */
     hsize_t count;  /* Number of records in table */
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ int main(void)
     if( err < 0 )
         fprintf(stderr, "Failed to close file.\n");
 
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/hl/c++/src/H5PacketTable.h b/hl/c++/src/H5PacketTable.h
index 5b4beec084..ee45143cdb 100644
--- a/hl/c++/src/H5PacketTable.h
+++ b/hl/c++/src/H5PacketTable.h
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ public:
     int GetNextPackets(size_t numPackets, void * data);
 };
 
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
 class H5_HLCPPDLL  VL_PacketTable : virtual public PacketTable
 {
 public:
@@ -235,5 +236,6 @@ public:
      */
     int FreeReadbuff(size_t numStructs, hvl_t * buffer);
 };
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
 
 #endif /* H5PTWRAP_H */
diff --git a/hl/c++/test/ptableTest.cpp b/hl/c++/test/ptableTest.cpp
index d25c2bae24..41f647dba7 100644
--- a/hl/c++/test/ptableTest.cpp
+++ b/hl/c++/test/ptableTest.cpp
@@ -49,7 +49,9 @@ int main(void)
 
             num_errors += SystemTest();
 
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
             num_errors += VariableLengthTest();
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
 
         /* Terminate access to the file. */
         err = H5Fclose(fileID);
diff --git a/hl/examples/ptExampleVL.c b/hl/examples/ptExampleVL.c
index f33a4691de..1f55210122 100644
--- a/hl/examples/ptExampleVL.c
+++ b/hl/examples/ptExampleVL.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 
 int main(void)
 {
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
  hid_t          fid;        /* File identifier */
  hid_t          ptable;     /* Packet table identifier */
 
@@ -110,12 +111,15 @@ int main(void)
 
     /* Close the file */
  H5Fclose(fid);
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
 
  return 0;
 
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
  out: /* An error has occurred.  Clean up and exit. */
     fprintf(stderr, "An error has occurred!\n");
     H5PTclose(ptable);
     H5Fclose(fid);
     return -1;
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
 }
diff --git a/hl/src/H5PTpublic.h b/hl/src/H5PTpublic.h
index 756eb51b81..e45f2bc4df 100644
--- a/hl/src/H5PTpublic.h
+++ b/hl/src/H5PTpublic.h
@@ -33,9 +33,11 @@ H5_HLDLL hid_t H5PTcreate_fl ( hid_t loc_id,
                       hsize_t chunk_size,
                       int compression );
 
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
 H5_HLDLL hid_t H5PTcreate_vl ( hid_t loc_id,
                       const char *dset_name,
                       hsize_t chunk_size );
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
 
 H5_HLDLL hid_t H5PTopen( hid_t loc_id,
                 const char *dset_name );
@@ -84,7 +86,9 @@ H5_HLDLL herr_t  H5PTget_num_packets( hid_t table_id,
 
 H5_HLDLL herr_t  H5PTis_valid( hid_t table_id );
 
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
 H5_HLDLL herr_t  H5PTis_varlen( hid_t table_id );
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
 
 /*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  *
@@ -108,9 +112,11 @@ H5_HLDLL herr_t  H5PTget_index( hid_t table_id,
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
 
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
 H5_HLDLL herr_t  H5PTfree_vlen_readbuff( hid_t table_id,
                                size_t bufflen,
                                void * buff );
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/hl/test/test_packet.c b/hl/test/test_packet.c
index ea985cf1da..80d0aff101 100644
--- a/hl/test/test_packet.c
+++ b/hl/test/test_packet.c
@@ -1026,7 +1026,9 @@ static int test_packet_table(hid_t fid)
     test_read(fid);
     test_get_next(fid);
     test_big_table(fid);
+#ifdef VLPT_REMOVED
     test_varlen(fid);
+#endif /* VLPT_REMOVED */
     test_opaque(fid);
     test_compress();
     test_error(fid);