Table Linkbases and Link Roles
While standard XBRL linkbases (Definitions, Presentations, Calculations) define relationships between concepts via locators and standard arcs in standard extended links, a table linkbase defines table components (tables, breakdowns, definition nodes, etc) and their relationships. These definitions are specified via resources and generic arcs in generic extended links.
Adding a table linkbase
In the Overview entry helper (screenshot below), right-click the taxonomy file or an existing linkbase and select Add New Linkbase | Table. The added linkbase will become the default table linkbase file. The default table linkbase file is the file into which new table definitions will be saved when the taxonomy file is saved. If you wish to make another table linkbase file the default table linkbase, right-click it and select Set Default Linkbase | Table (see screenshot below).
Note that default linkbases are displayed in bold and that linkbases that have been modified but not yet saved are marked with an asterisk.
The table linkbase is displayed in the Table tab.
| Note: | If a table component is added to the taxonomy at a time when no table linkbase exists, a table linkbase is created automatically. |
Link Roles
As is the case with standard extended links (for Definitions, Presentations, Calculations), generic links must define an extended link role value, which partitions relationships of the same type into disjoint networks. All generic extended links with the same link role are combined under one link role node in the diagram in the Table tab, even if they reside in different linkbase files.
Generic link roles can be created in the diagram via the context menu of the background area (screenshot below). Note, however, that this context menu will be displayed only if the View Option combo box of the Table tab has been switched to Show All Extended Link Roles.
This menu is also available via the 
toolbar icon, Add Extended Link / Manage Linkroles. Since relationship networks are not that important for a table linkbase, the default view of the Table tab is Hide Extended Link Roles, which hides the link roles and, instead, shows the table components without their link roles.
If there is no default table linkbase file at the time the extended link role is created, a default table linkbase file will be created automatically. And if there is no link role in the default linkbase file at the time a link role is created, then a link role will be created automatically in the default linkbase file.