Article Summary
When your RFP, DDQ, or Security Questionnaire contains selectable options — like Yes/No/N/A or Compliant/Non-Compliant — you can mark them as radio buttons (Single Choice) or checkboxes (Multi Choice) in the project importer. Once marked, your team can click to toggle selections directly in the project editor, and the checked/unchecked states export back into the customer's original document format.
Estimated Time
~5 minutes
Prerequisites
Access to an AutoRFP account
A project with uploaded requirements containing selectable option lists (e.g., Yes / No / N/A, Compliant / Partial / Non-Compliant)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Identify Selectable Options in Your Document
Before marking radio buttons, look for content in your uploaded document that contains selectable option lists. Common formats include:
☐ Yes / ☐ No / ☐ N/A
□ Compliant / □ Non-Compliant / □ Partial
○ Option A / ○ Option B / ○ Option C
not doneSupported / [ ] Not Supported
AutoRFP recognizes a range of checkbox and radio marker characters.
🗒️ Note: If your document was uploaded and Smart-Select is enabled, AutoRFP's auto-detection may identify and mark these lists automatically during import.
Step 2: Mark a Requirement First
The Single Choice and Multi Choice buttons only become active after you've selected at least one Requirement in the importer.
Open your project in the document importer.
Click on the question or statement associated with the selectable options.
Mark it as a Requirement from the toolbar options.
Step 3: Select the Option List
Click on the cells or lines that contain the selectable options (e.g., the row of ☐ Yes / ☐ No / ☐ N/A).
When AutoRFP detects the selection contains a checkbox-style list, two new buttons appear in the importer toolbar: Single Choice and Multi Choice.
Option | Icon | Behavior | Use When |
Single Choice | ⊙ (radio button) | Only one option can be selected at a time — selecting a new option automatically deselects the previous one | The RFP expects exactly one answer (e.g., Yes / No / N/A) |
Multi Choice | ☑ (checkbox) | Any number of options can be toggled on or off independently | The RFP expects "select all that apply" (e.g., a list of supported integrations) |
Click the appropriate button to mark your selection.
💡 Tip: For table-based documents (especially Excel), AutoRFP will auto-detect matching cells in the same column and apply the same marking across similar rows.
Step 4: Toggle Selections in the Project Editor
Once your project is created, marked radio buttons and checkboxes appear as interactive elements in the project editor.
For Single Choice (radio button) responses:
Click an unchecked marker (☐) to select it — all other options in the group are automatically deselected
The selected marker changes to its checked state (☒, ■, ●, or [x] depending on the original document format)
Clicking an already-selected option does nothing (one option must always remain selected)
For Multi Choice (checkbox) responses:
Click any marker to toggle it between checked and unchecked
Multiple options can be checked at the same time
You can also press Space or Enter while focused on a marker to toggle it.
Step 5: Export with Selections Preserved
When you export your project, the checked and unchecked states of each marker are preserved in the exported document. AutoRFP replaces the original content range with your updated selections, so the customer receives the document with your chosen options filled in.
No additional steps are needed — the export process handles this automatically for both Word and Excel formats.
💡 Tips & Best Practices
During Import:
Mark 2–3 examples manually first, then let Smart-Select find the rest in similarly formatted rows
If the toolbar buttons don't appear, verify your selection actually contains recognizable marker characters (☐, □, ○, [ ], etc.)
Choosing Between Single and Multi Choice:
Read the original RFP instructions — if the issuer says "select one" or provides mutually exclusive options, use Single Choice
If the issuer says "check all that apply" or the options aren't mutually exclusive, use Multi Choice
In the Project Editor:
Radio button and checkbox groups are visually contained — each group operates independently, so toggling one group won't affect another
You can review all compliance selections at a glance before exporting by scrolling through the project
✋🏼 Common Mistakes to Avoid
Marking as Multi Choice when Single Choice is needed — If a compliance column expects one answer (Yes / No / N/A), marking it as Multi Choice lets reviewers accidentally check both "Yes" and "No"
Not marking a Requirement first — The Single Choice and Multi Choice buttons stay disabled until at least one Requirement is selected in the importer
Selecting free-text cells instead of option lists — These buttons are designed for cells that contain selectable markers (☐, □, ○, etc.). Selecting regular text content won't trigger the buttons to appear
Need Help?
💬 Live Chat: Available in-app
📚 Learning Centre: learn.autorfp.ai/en