Fixing Empty Element Names

When working on an XBRL report in GoFiler, it is possible to get a custom element into a state where the element has a label, exists in the custom fields table, but does not have an element name. This is a bit of an odd, undefined state, that will cause filing errors if the document is exported to the XBRL file set and submitted to the SEC. You can tell if you're going to have this issue if you validate the report in GoFiler, and you see the warning: Element "" is not used in the report.

This is a known issue. However, we cannot duplicate it in our internal testing. If you are able to duplicate the conditions that lead to this error, please report it to our support team.

If you encounter this issue, follow these steps to correct it:

1. Click on the warning in the Information View window.

2. Copy the element name (visible in Column A of the sheet) to the clipboard using Ctrl + C (or make a note of it).

3. Close the XFR file.

4. While holding the Shift key, open the XFR file again. It will open as text.

5. Press Ctrl + F to open the Find dialog.

6. Enter the element name using paste or by typing it manually. Search the document until you find the element in the custom fields section. This should be the last occurrence of the element name in the document.

   The line in the document will look something like this:

   <CELL POS="A4" SX="3">custom:MyCustomMember<ATTRIBUTES>,,,"Documentation",,,,,"Default Label"</ATTRIBUTES></CELL>

   where “custom:MyCustomMember is the name of the problem element. If you have not set documentation or a default label for this element, the line will have fewer entries (or commas). 

7. Add the element name before the documentation. This will be between the second and third commas if the row has documentation or other properties specified. If the row does not have properties specified, you must add the commas before the element name. Our example becomes:

   <CELL POS="A4" SX="3">custom:MyCustomMember<ATTRIBUTES>,,"custom:MyCustomMember","Documentation",,,,,"Default Label"</ATTRIBUTES></CELL>

8. Open the file using the normal Open function.

9. Validate the file. The error message will now say: Element "custom:MyCustomMember" is not used in the report. Click on the message to go to the custom fields sheet.

10. Right-click on the element and choose Remove Element. The element will be removed from the filing, resolving the error.

11. Save the file.