parameter substitution used in _values

[Oliver Kiddle <opk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Any ideas why the difference between using $1 and $a here below:

% set -- '-Opath'
% a="$1"
% echo ${(@P)1[3,-1]}
9XZfims
% echo ${(@P)a[3,-1]}
/usr/lib/jdk1.3/bin /usr/bin /bin ... etc ...

I'm guessing that the 9XZfims is the list of single letter options but
why that and not the value of $path? This stuff is used at the beginning
of _values where it parses its options so it looks to me like _values
won't work with no space between -O and its argument.

Oliver