Conformance of document-type shells

DITA documents typically are governed by a conforming DITA document-type shell. However, the conformance of a DITA document is a function of the document instance, not its governing grammar. Conforming DITA documents are not required to use a conforming document-type shell.

Conforming DITA documents are not required to have any governing document-type declaration or schema. There might be compelling or practical reasons to use non-conforming document-type shells. For example, a document might use a document-type shell that does not conform to the DITA requirements for shells in order to meet the needs of a specific application or tool. Such a non-conforming document-type shell still might enable the creation of conforming DITA content.