Make the javascript read the value of variable from the PHP

i think you can create a meta tag on your head tag like this

<meta id ="anyvalue" data-content="<?php echo $info['anyvalue'];?>">

then accessing it using jquery

<script>
      $(function() {
         var anyvalue = $('#anyvalue').data('content');
      })
</script>

or using vanilla javascript

<script>
   var anyvalue = document.getElementById('anyvalue').getAttribute('data-content');
</script>

but this is more appropriate rather than echoing data directly to javascript. .

to answer your problem

   $(document).ready( function() {
        $("#anyvalueTextField").focus( function() {
            if ( $(this).val() == $('#anyvalue').data('content')) {
                $(this).val('');
            } 
        });
    });

You can insert PHP code inside Javascript, but PHP won't be able to read the Javascript variables.

To my understanding, $info['anyvalue'] must be blank or undefined.

In other words, in your code, the server communicates with the client but the client doesn't communicate with the server.

You have to find another way to exchange data between the client and the server (POST, Ajax, or some trick with PHP nested into Javascript nested into PHP).

Disclaimer: This is really bad practice

You can use PHP to initialize a javascript variable if the Javascript code is in your PHP file. So the following would work:

page.php

<?php $info['anyvalue'] = "foo"; ?>
$(document).ready( function() {
     $("#anyvalue").focus( function() {
         if ( $(this).val()=="<?php echo $info['anyvalue'];?> ") {
            $(this).val('');
         } 
    });
});

Since the PHP code will be pre-process before going to the Browser <?php echo $info['anyvalue'];?> will become "foo".

But don't do this its messy and not very nice to future developers or your future self, when you have to switch between PHP and JS to track down bugs.

To parse php inside javascript use single quotes instead of double like:

<script>
    $(document).ready( function() {
        $("#anyvalue").focus( function() {
            if ( $(this).val()=='<?php echo $info['anyvalue'];?>') {
                $(this).val('');
            } 
        });
    });
</script>