[en] In this paper, the (1+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient complex Ginzburg–Landau (CGL) equation with a parity-time (PT) symmetric potential U(x) is investigated. Although the CGL equations with a PT-symmetric potential are less reported analytically, the analytic solutions for the CGL equation are obtained with the bilinear method in this paper. Via the derived solutions, some soliton structures are presented with corresponding parameters, and the influences of them are analyzed and studied. The single-soliton structure is numerically verified, and its stability is analyzed against additive and multiplicative noises. In particular, we study the soliton dynamics under the impact of the PT-symmetric potential. Results show that the PT-symmetric potential plays an important role for obtaining soliton structures in ultrafast optics, and we can design fiber lasers and all-optical switches depending on the different amplitudes of soliton-like structures. (paper)