I agree this would be impossible to achieve completely, without crippling many features of this module.

One thing that may achieve this goal partially is by allowing the specific LA module to target another LA module as its target page to open.

Maybe I misread your comment:-

- allow for a single place where article detail is viewed (one unique url per article) not matter where from you have clicked on the article link

I thought it indicated that the latest articles module would link to the news article instance where the article appears (taken into account category filters, etc), if they all link to the SAME module it would be OK. It does this today to link to news articles module. So I'm not sure what the change is? Other than a custom view module?

Your categories module will have a setting to link to an instance of LA.

The categories module links to a list of articles belonging to a category. I'm not sure how this applies..

I originally proposed some changes to NA, but I think the main changes I am now interested extensions to the LA module.

Latest Articles Extensions

1. Admin option to pick a module to view articles in (an LA Module). 
   A setting will still exist to link to the article module, this is where the edit link will go to and the ModuleID to query data from.  (as you mentioned above).
   
2. Extend the Template capabilities of the LA module to use or match that of the NA module.
   
3. Optional Admin option:  Set Default View, This would allow you to select or create an article that would act as the default view for this LA Module.  In effect this module would then be a view module. 
   
4. Ideally there would be a Token That would reset the LA module to its default view.  A Filtered list if the default view has not been set, or the detail view of an article if the default view has been set.

This is my current view based on this thead.  I think I have hit most of the points Dax and I mentioned.  Of course he can correct me. :)

These options are extensions and shouldn't adversely affect how people are currently working.

I love this statement...

DV

OK, guys, very sorry for dissapearing on this for over a month.  As soon as I offered to summarize, my schedule went nuts.  I think part of the confusion in this thread has been the adding of a "detail view" module.  That's not really what the purpose of this thread was originally about, and having one is not mutually exclusive to the goal here.  I'm going to try to outline the changes to the modules.

NA Module

1. Serves as Administrative Module (for backwards compatibility, it does everything it does now)
   
2. All site articles are administered here and displayed around the site appropriately using LA module filtering.  One centralized repository for articles.
   

LA Module

1. Has ALL template ability of NA. You can select an Template for a list or select to do the custom approach LA currently does for displaying articles.
2. Displays article detail in the same spot as the LA Module (If Launch Article is checked then displays on current page in admin view, else displays on current page in exact location of the LA Module). Launch should probably be the default setting.  Displaying in the same place helps with page security issues, skin issues, navigation issues, etc.
3. Setting to display in current LA module or point to an existing NA module for displaying article detail (backwards compatibility).
4. NA Module Menu Bar options would work in LA but go back to the LA module not the NA module like now.  Admin options would work with the NA module.
   

Categories/Authors/Archives/etc.

1. With LA having full NA ability when we add the archives module to a page you select LA modules for displaying the detail. This will display the detail in the correct skin, site location, etc.
2. Have an option to respect the settings/filters setup on the LA module pointed to. This will make sure only the articles that would be shown in LA shows in the archives. I would think you would ignore article limit or date limits for this (or make that an additional option)

I think that covers all of the options pertaining to the main topic.  I'll add another post talking about the detail view and the URL issue brought up.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Dax