XBRL Generic Reference 1.0 Specification
Public Working Draft, dated 2006-12-18
Copyright © 2006, XBRL International Inc., All Rights Reserved
This version:
Generic-References-IWD-2006-12-18.doc
is NORMATIVE. All other versions and formats are non-normative.
Editors
Name	Contact	Affiliation	
Phillip Engel	Phillip.Engel@morganstanley.com 	Morgan Stanley	
Geoff Shuetrim	geoff@galexy.net	Galexy	
David vun Kannon	david.k.vunkannon@us.pwc.com 	PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP	
Contributors
Name	Contact	Affiliation	

			
Abstract
This specification is an extension of the XBRL 2.1 Specification [XBRL].  This document specifies syntax for generic reference resources that are conformant with the XBRL 2.1 specification.  References that conform to this specification validate against the XBRL 2.1 specification.  References in the XBRL 2.1 specification are limited in that they must only be used to reference documentation of concepts. Generic references are more flexible in that they can be used to reference any element in an XML Schema schema and they can be used to provide a reference for any element in an XLink resource.  Generic references provide a syntactic foundation for XBRL extension specifications.
Status
This is a Public Working Draft whose circulation is unrestricted. Comments should be directed to the editor and/or contributors by e-mail.  Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are aware and to provide supporting documentation.
In the final version of this document:
•	relevant schema extracts will be included in the text of the specification
•	relevant examples will be included
•	error codes will be included.
To reduce the editorial burden, these aspects of the specification have been omitted for internal working drafts.
Normative status
This document is normative in the sense that any implementing processor must obey the rules described herein, in order to be considered a conformant processor.
Table of contents
Contributors
Typographic conventions
Formatting conventions
Namespace conventions (normative)
1	Introduction
2	Syntax
2.1	Generic references
2.2	Element-reference relationships
Appendices
A	References (Non Normative)
B	Normative error codes
C	Normative schema

Document conventions (non-normative)
Typographic conventions
Comments which are informative, but not essential to the understanding of the point at hand are provided in footnotes. All footnotes are non-normative.
Formatting conventions
The following highlighting is used to present normative technical material in this document:
	
The following formatting is used for non-normative examples in this document:

The following formatting is used for non-normative counterexamples (examples of poor, discouraged or disallowed usage) in this document:

Namespace conventions (normative)
This table contains all the prefixes used within the text and the correspondent namespace URI. The prefix column in the table above is non normative. The namespace URI column is normative.
Prefix	Namespace URI	
xbrli	http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance	
reference	http://xbrl.org/2007/reference	
Relationship to other work
This specification depends upon XBRL 2.1 Specification [XBRL].
In the event of any conflicts between this specification and the XBRL 2.1 specification, this specification does not prevail.
Language independence
The official language of XBRL International’s own work products is English and the preferred spelling convention is UK English.
Terminology
All terminology defined in the XBRL 2.1.
The following additional terms are used as described in the table below:
Term	Meaning (Normative)	
generic arc	The generic:arc element as defined in the Generic link Specification 1.0 [GENLINK].	
source	The XML fragment identified by the URI content of the href attributes of the locator-type elements in the same extended-type link element, which have the same label attribute content as the content of the “from” attribute of an arc.	
target	The XML fragment identified by the URI content of the href attributes of the locator-type elements in the same extended-type link element, which have the same label attribute content as the content of the “to” attribute of an arc.	
XBRL extended link	An XLink [XLINK] extended link that is valid instance of an extended link as defined by the XBRL 2.1 Specification [XBRL].	
1	Introduction
The XBRL 2.1 Specification [XBRL] defines syntax for referencing documentation of XBRL concepts.  That syntax is the reference extended link.  References in reference links must only be used to declare a reference for an XBRL concept.  This limitation prevents XBRL extension specifications from using them to reference other data structures.
For example, references in reference links cannot be used to provide references for custom role declarations. Nor can they be used to provide references for information contained in the XLink resources that are envisaged as components of XBRL extension specifications.
To simplify of XBRL extension specifications, this document defines the syntax of a generic reference resource. Generic references are conformant with the XBRL 2.1 specification.  This document makes no statement about the extended links that may contain them, the kinds of arcs that may connect them or the XML elements that they might be related to by such arcs.
Specifications wishing to make use of generic references will need to define any reference resource roles that they intend to have used with generic references.
2	Syntax
This specification only provides a textual declaration of syntax constraints when those constraints are not expressed by the normative schema supplied with this specification.
Explanations of elements and attributes are only supplied when those explanations are not already provided in other specifications.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, a reference to a specific element MUST be read as a reference to that element or to any element in its substitution group.
2.1	Generic references
Generic references are declared by the reference:reference element.
A generic reference is an XLink resource [XLink]. When contained within a valid XBRL 2.1 extended link, a generic reference provides a reference to authoritative materials.
2.2	Element-reference relationships
Generic references MAY be related to an element in a schema or to an element in an XLink resource in a valid XBRL extended link.
Relationships from elements to generic references are expressed by XLink arcs in XBRL extended links. Such relationships are referred to as element-reference relationships.
To declare a relationship between an element and a generic reference, an XLink arc element MUST:
•	be a generic arc;
•	have an arcrole equal to http://xbrl.org/arcrole/element-reference;
•	have the element in a schema or an XLink resource at the source of the arc; and
•	have the generic reference at the target of the arc.
Such relationships are referred to as element-reference relationships.
Generic arcs are defined in the Generic Link 1.0 Specification [GENLINK].
Appendices
A	References (Non Normative)

[GENLINK]	Mark Goodhand (editor)
Generic Links in XBRL, Internal Working Draft
	
[XBRL]	Phillip Engel, Walter Hamscher, Geoff Shuetrim, David vun Kannon and Hugh Wallis
Extensible Business Reporting Language 2.1 Recommendation with corrected Errata dated 2005-04-25
http://www.xbrl.org/Specification/XBRL-RECOMMENDATION-2003-12-31+Corrected-Errata-2005-04-25.rtf
	
[XLink]	Steve DeRose, Eve Maler, and David Orchard
XML Linking Language (XLink) Version 1.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/xlink

B	Normative error codes
Normative error codes defined in this specification are listed here.
To be completed.
C	Normative schema
The following is the normative schema for this specification. 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<schema 
  targetNamespace="http://xbrl.org/2007/reference"
  xmlns:reference="http://xbrl.org/2007/reference" 
  xmlns:link="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/linkbase" 
  xmlns:xl="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/XLink"
  xmlns:generic="http://xbrl.org/2007/generic" 
  elementFormDefault="qualified"
  xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" 
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"  
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema.xsd">

  <import namespace="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/XLink" 
    schemaLocation="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/xl-2003-12-31.xsd"/>  

  <import namespace="http://www.xbrl.org/2003/linkbase" 
    schemaLocation="xbrl-linkbase-2003-12-31.xsd" />

  <annotation>
    <appinfo>
      <link:arcroleType
        id="element-reference" 
        cyclesAllowed="none" 
        arcroleURI="http://xbrl.org/arcrole/element-reference">
        <link:definition>element-reference</link:definition>
        <link:usedOn>generic:arc</link:usedOn>
      </link:arcroleType>
    </appinfo>
  </annotation>

  <element name="reference" substitutionGroup="xl:resource">
    <complexType mixed="true">
      <complexContent mixed="true">
        <extension base="xl:resourceType">
          <sequence>
            <element ref="link:part" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
          </sequence>
        </extension>
      </complexContent>
    </complexType>
  </element>

</schema>	
D	Intellectual Property Status (non-normative)
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the copyright notice or references to XBRL International or XBRL organizations, except as required to translate it into languages other than English. Members of XBRL International agree to grant certain licenses under the XBRL International Intellectual Property Policy (www.xbrl.org/legal).
This document and the information contained herein is provided on an "AS IS" basis and XBRL INTERNATIONAL DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
The attention of users of this document is directed to the possibility that compliance with or adoption of XBRL International specifications may require use of an invention covered by patent rights. XBRL International shall not be responsible for identifying patents for which a license may be required by any XBRL International specification, or for conducting legal inquiries into the legal validity or scope of those patents that are brought to its attention. XBRL International specifications are prospective and advisory only. Prospective users are responsible for protecting themselves against liability for infringement of patents. XBRL International takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any intellectual property or other rights that might be claimed to pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in this document or the extent to which any license under such rights might or might not be available; neither does it represent that it has made any effort to identify any such rights. Members of XBRL International agree to grant certain licenses under the XBRL International Intellectual Property Policy (www.xbrl.org/legal).
E	Acknowledgements (non-normative)
This document could not have been written without the contributions of many people including the participants in the XBRL Formula Working Group.
F	Document History (non-normative)
Date	Editor	Summary	
2006-12-18	Geoff Shuetrim	First internal working draft created, drawing extensively on the previous Formula specification drafts.	
2007-02-01	Hugh Wallis	Editorial to reflect Public Working Draft Status