Inline XBRL Developer Resources Published
At the 2018 Data Amplified conference in Dubai, we presented some samples that show how Inline XBRL documents can be both interactive and design-led. These reports are aesthetically indistinguishable from PDF reports but far more useful.
We have now published a code repository containing details of how we produced these samples. We believe this will serve as a useful resource for developers looking to create iXBRL reports, such as those required by the upcoming ESEF mandate.
The repository contains two sample documents. The first is an extract from the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation’s (GLEIF) 2017 Annual Report. This sample demonstrates the high level of design fidelity that can be achieved with iXBRL, providing a very faithful reproduction of the PDF document on which it is based.
The second example is our own accounts. Whilst the design of this report is less sophisticated than the GLEIF sample, it served as useful demonstration of a “native” iXBRL production process. Unlike the GLEIF sample, the iXBRL is not based on a PDF document. The iXBRL report *is* the original report, built with XBRL tags embedded from the start, and automatically validated for consistency by an XBRL processor. The PDF used by XBRL International’s auditors to sign off its accounts was created from the Inline XBRL document (by simply using “File -> Print” in a web browser).
To find out more about how the samples were created, read this (technical) article that walks through the process, or jump straight to the end result: GLEIF sample, XBRL International’s
accounts.
* Yes — the world still needs audit literature to allow auditors to
sign the Inline XBRL, something our community continues to work on.
