As you have found, any redirection to other than the default view control (i.e. including the "ctl" parameter in the query string will switch to the edit skin and isolate the module by displaying it in the ContentPane and preventing rendering of other modules on the page. The short answer to "why" is because it was designed that way. The longer answer is that (for edit controls in particular) it focuses the user's attention onto the module and avoids some potentially difficult interactions between multiple interactive modules on the same page.

For non-default view controls I prefer to avoid this behavior by designing the module to either manipulate the visibility of panel or multi-view controls containing each view or better yet have the default view act as a container or dispatch control that then loads (via LoadControl into a PlaceHodler control) the other user or server controls for the desired view or management/edit screen.

I would highly discourage modifying framework code to alter its module control injection behaviour - in large part because of the difficulties that core modifications present on upgrade and the big unknown of how such changes would affect core and third party modules.

---

Bill, WESNet Designs
Team Lead - DotNetNuke Gallery Module Project (Not Actively Being Developed)
Extensions Forge Projects . . .
Current: UserExport, ContentDeJour, ePrayer, DNN NewsTicker, By Invitation
Coming Soon: FRBO-For Rent By Owner