Don't worry mate! Put them in the direction you want, up or down ya wadee3 
Caues at last, if you put it in the wrong direction, your answer would be in negative, and you would know 
actually A.F tht doesnt always work.. i was also coming to ask the same question - which way do we put the reactional force?

?... c this Q:
a window of mass 15kg and height 120cm is hinged along its top edge. It is kept open by the thrust frm a light strut of lenght 50cm attached to the wall and perpindicular to the lower edge of the window. By modelling the window as a uniform lamina, calculate the thrust in the strut and the magnitude an direction of the force exerted on the window by the hinge? (u hv to draw the diagram)
i attached the answer... i got T but i dnt really understand the rest.. :S...
y is the reactional force acting upwards meaning tht at the hinge the horizontal force is to the left and the vertical force is upwards?

if u put them any other way the correct answer doesnt cm... :S:SS:
\HELP PLEEEEEEEEEEEEZ