APPLY YOURSELVES: GUIDE TO THE GUIDES

CONTENTS
APPLY YOURSELVES: GUIDE TO THE GUIDES.............................................
QUICK GUIDE TO APPLY YOURSELVES.........................................................
Welcome..........................................................................................................
The basic idea..................................................................................................
Using the tabs..................................................................................................
Tick the questions............................................................................................
If in doubt, click.................................................................................................
Writing text.......................................................................................................
Use the buttons................................................................................................
MAIN GUIDE TO APPLY YOURSELVES...........................................................
OPENING SCREENS......................................................................................
SECOND SCREEN..........................................................................................
TABS................................................................................................................
WRITING YOUR APPLICATION SECTION BY SECTION.............................
THE APPLICATION TAB.................................................................................
EDITING IN THE APPLICATION TAB.............................................................
THE TOOLBAR OF BUTTONS.......................................................................
THE TOOLBAR OF BUTTONS (2)..................................................................
THE CHECK-LIST AND BALANCE BUTTONS...............................................
THE ORDER BUTTON AND SCREEN...........................................................
THE JOTTER...................................................................................................
THE RIGHT-HAND BUTTONS........................................................................
THE MENUS....................................................................................................
THE MENUS: EDITING AND LAYOUT...........................................................
THE MENUS: REPORTS AND HELP.............................................................
PRINTING........................................................................................................
MORE ON PRINTING......................................................................................
WRITING AND EDITING TEXT.......................................................................
A NOTE ABOUT WINDOWS...........................................................................
QUICK GUIDE
TO APPLY
YOURSELVES
 Welcome
Welcome to this quick guide. It will show you how to use Apply Yourselves to write a funding
application.

To move through the program, click on words underlined and in blue (if you haven't already
visited the screen) or red (if you have).

If you look at the online version of this guide, you’ll find that works in the same way, through
clicking on ‘hyperlinks’: the text underlined and in blue or red that leads to another page of
information.
 The basic idea
Apply Yourselves is based on the idea that any funding application (whether a one-page letter
or a long, detailed proposal) will cover the same sort of things.

Every application, for instance, should say something about the amount of money that's
needed. And something about the organisation that's making the application. And what the
organisation wants to do.

And so on.

So Apply Yourselves breaks up the application you write into eight different sections.
 Using the tabs
Once you've completed the first couple of screens, you'll see the names of each of the eight
sections on eight coloured tabs.

You can work on any section in any order. Just click on the tab to go to that section.

When you've written something for at least one section you'll be able to click on the last tab,
'Application'. This is where the program combines all the bits you've written into one
application.
 Tick the questions
When you first click on a section tab you see a check-list of questions.

Tick all the questions that you think apply to your own situation. You might tick only one box,
or you might tick them all. Click again to un-tick.

When you've made your choices, click on the 'OK' button at the bottom of the list.
 If in doubt, click
You'll notice that the questions on the list were in blue and underlined.

Wherever you are in Apply Yourselves, if you click on something blue and underlined (a 'link')
you'll get information or advice.

So on the checklist questions, if you're not sure why you might want to include something in
your application, click on it!
 Writing text
Once you've chosen the questions you think are relevant to your situation, you'll see a
different window. This is where you write something.

Type in the space, format and cut and paste the text using the buttons above it. The
questions you've chosen are at the bottom of the screen, and you can tick them off when
you've dealt with them.
 Use the buttons
There's a row of buttons above the area where you write your application. Let the mouse-
pointer hover over a button to see what it does. The first button, for instance, looks like a
double-headed signpost. But when the mouse-pointer hovers over it, the words 'General
advice' appear just below it, and in the yellow ribbon at the bottom of the screen. The single-
signpost button is for 'Section advice': advice about the tab-section you're in.

Click on any button to see more information about jargon, Help...whatever. Or to jot down
notes in the jotter. Or print stuff. Or export your application to your word-processor. Do
experiment. Use the 'File' menu at the top left to save what you've done or go back to
something you started and saved on another occasion.

Click the Help button if you're stuck. Through that, you can get to an online version of this
quick guide, or to more detailed explanations about how the program works.
MAIN GUIDE TO
APPLY
YOURSELVES
 OPENING SCREENS
Some of this may seem obvious. Once you get the hang of the program, use the contents or
the index of this guide to go quickly to what you want.

On the first screen, you need to click somewhere on the yellow to get started. Then choose
one of the buttons:

• Copy will guide you to remove and insert disks as necessary.

• Delete will show you a list of existing 'applications' - application-letters you've

prepared through Apply Yourselves - for you to delete if you want. Make sure you
have a back-up unless you're sure you'll never need it again.

• Tutorial will take you through the quick Start-up guide, a broad-brush explanation of
how it all hangs together.

The rest of this guide concentrates on the other two options, how to:

• Create a new application from scratch

• Edit an application that you or someone else has already started in Apply Yourselves
and has saved for more work later
 SECOND SCREEN
You need to think about all three sections of this screen, even if you only make an entry in the
top, compulsory part.

1. Tick the type(s) of organisation you're applying to by clicking in the box(es).

2. Click on the arrow beside the drop-down box to see the different money ranges, and pick
the one that best describes how much you want to raise now.

3. Click on the 'experience' pointer and hold it down, dragging it to the place along the line
that describes your level of experience: this will change the kind of advice the program offers
you.
 TABS
You click on the different coloured tabs to move around the program and create your
application. Under each tab is a checklist of blue questions, with check-boxes beside the
questions. Here for instance are the first few questions on the check-list for 'Money'. In the
program, you tick the boxes against the question(s) you want your application to cover. Every
question leads to an advice screen.

Click on any question underlined and in blue to see the advice. You will need to click the
little 'x' in the top right-hand corner of the screen that appears, in order to close that
window and return to the Money screen.

In the section where you discuss money, do you need to:


show you have a budget for the work you want funding for?


explain how you've worked out the costings?


be explicit about the value for money your project represents?


explain how your organisation is currently funded?
 WRITING YOUR APPLICATION SECTION BY SECTION
To begin to write your application, you'll need to click/tick some check-boxes on a tab, then
click the 'OK' button (you have to scroll down to see that on some screens, using the Scroll
bar or the Page Down key). You’ll then come to the screen where you can begin to type.

This is the mini word-processor in which you can draft your application. You can change the
font or font size, click the buttons for bold, italic or underline, or select text with the mouse or
Shift+direction keys then cut, copy or paste. There’s more information later about word-
processing.

Below the text area, you'll find the questions you ticked, to remind you what you're intending
to say.
 THE APPLICATION TAB
As soon as you type anything, the 'Application' tab showing your whole application becomes
live. Click on 'Application' to see the whole thing coming together.

There's a check-list of questions in the grey area below the screen on the Application tab.
Click on the little arrows to go up and down the list. Make sure you go over the questions
before you finish your application.
 EDITING IN THE APPLICATION TAB
You can edit in the Application tab, provided you've already written something in a particular
section. Text you drafted under any particular tab takes on the colour of that tab as soon as
you start editing.

Keep clicking on the different tabs, in any order. Click/tick the questions your application
should address. Type in your ideas. Experiment. You can always edit later.
 THE TOOLBAR OF BUTTONS
From each tab-section you can summon advice from the toolbar of buttons. Let the mouse
hover over a button and two things happen. The yellow ribbon at the bottom will tell you what
it provides; and, in a moment, a 'tool-tip' appears just below the button with the same
information

The first button on the toolbar, for instance, looks like a double-headed signpost. In the
program, if you let the mouse hover over it, the words 'General advice' appear in the yellow
ribbon, and beneath the button itself. The second button, a single signpost, is for 'Section
advice': advice about the tab-section you're in: the main source of detailed information about
each part of the program's resources.

In the program, click on either of the buttons to view the sub-screen of advice. When you're in
that sub-screen, click on the little 'x' in the top right-hand corner to close the screen and return
to the Money screen.
 THE TOOLBAR OF BUTTONS (2)
Click on the Jargon button in the program (it looks like two quotation marks) to view the sub-
screen that aims to demystify Jargon for you.

The 'Examples' button is section-specific. So when you click it you’ll go to the relevant
examples for the Section you’re in. In the program, click it and see. And do remember the
general advice: funders know about this software and will probably recognise text lifted
without change from here.

Explore the advice, click around the jargon definitions, have a good look through the
examples. You'll find the 'Back' and 'Forward' buttons become live once you move around a
bit. Use the 'Print' button to keep a permanent record of things that are important to you. Or
highlight text then use Ctrl+C to copy parts of jargon or advice more selectively. Paste what
you've copied into your usual word processor to save or print it. (Yes, we've disabled copying
from 'Examples'!)
 THE CHECK-LIST AND BALANCE BUTTONS
The next two buttons both change the way your application is organised:

The 'check-list' button enables you to see the check-list of 'blue' questions for any section
again, if you've already chosen from the list and clicked 'OK'. So the button is greyed out and
unavailable when the full list of questions is showing.

If you've entered any text for a section, then click the check-list button, you'll have to click 'OK'
again to be able to see your text. Take the opportunity to add to your personal check-list if you
want.
The 'Balance' button gives you a snapshot of what weight you've given to the different
sections of your application.
 THE ORDER BUTTON AND SCREEN
The 'Order' button enables you to change the order of the tabs. The button takes you to the
Order screen. Click on any of the coloured blocks, hold down the mouse, and drag the block
to a new position. You'll see the text beneath, which summarises the structure of your
application, change too.

The order of the tabs on the main screen changes too.

 THE JOTTER
The jotter button leads to a mini word-processor just like the application screen, where you
can record notes for yourself, using the same range of formatting, and cutting and pasting.

If you choose the second button along, the screen will show all jotter entries. If you choose
the first button, you only see the entries for the particular tab-section you're in.

There’s more information later about writing and editing text.

 THE RIGHT-HAND BUTTONS
Through Reports you can print or preview any checklist of questions, and choose between
selected, unselected or uncompleted sections - simply tick the appropriate boxes on the
screen that comes up next. You can also preview and print a questionnaire for others to
review your application.

The Print button enables you to print the text you've written for the section you're in, or, if you
haven't drafted any words of wisdom yet, it will print the check-list of questions for that
section.

You can save your work in an RTF (Rich Text Format) file. Indeed we recommend you do
that, to put the finishing touches to the layout and formatting of your application. Save the file
as, say, APPLIC.RTF, then go to your word-processor and re-open the file there. Remember,
it will be in the directory where your AY files are, and will be called APPLIC.RTF, or whatever
name you gave it.

The last buttons enable you to move back and forward, and to summon the online Help: this
guide.
 THE MENUS
A number of facilities are available through the menu-bar. Here, for instance, is the top range
of choices under 'File':

'New' (keyboard, Alt, F, N) under the File menu starts a new application. This is also a handy
way of clearing the decks if you decide you want to get rid of all your entries and start again.

'Open' (keyboard, Ctrl+O) leads you to a drop-down box containing a list of files you've
already saved. Choose the one you want, or click the button that will appear to the right to
browse through your folders/directories.

'Save' (keyboard, Ctrl+S) and 'Save As' save your work. By default the filename will have the
extension '.ply', and be located in the directory/folder where you installed the program. Keep
saving often. You'll also find you're prompted about whether you want to save your work if you
try to leave the program without saving.
 THE MENUS: EDITING AND LAYOUT

Through 'Edit' 'Options' on the menu-bar you reach the Editor options box. Tick 'use word
wrapping' to change the appearance of the 'application screen. This will stop words
'disappearing' off the right-hand side of the screen by wrapping the lines before the right
margin is reached.

Tick 'save options on program exit' to keep your word wrapping choice next time the program
starts.

Note that this only affects the layout onscreen. We recommend that you don't try to refine
details of formatting and layout within 'Apply Yourselves'. Instead, when a draft of your
application is complete, click on the 'rtf' button to save the application in 'rtf' format - as, say,
APPLIC.RTF. Then go to your word-processor and re-open the file there (you may have to
change 'files of type' to 'All files' or 'Rich text format'). Remember, the file will be in the
directory where your AY files are, and will be called APPLIC.RTF, or whatever you called it.
 THE MENUS: REPORTS AND HELP
Through 'Reports' on the menu-bar you can access the same facilities as through the
Reports button:

• Checklists: you can print or preview any of the checklists, and choose between
selected, unselected or uncompleted sections - simply tick the appropriate boxes on
the screen that comes up next

• Questionnaire: you can preview and print a questionnaire for others to review your
application.

Through 'Help' on the menu-bar you can access this Tutorial/guide.

Like other menu-choices, you can use the keyboard (Alt, H, T) instead of the mouse if you
want.
 PRINTING
From the lower half of the File menu you can access a number of printing facilities (You can
get to some of these from the Print button too).

Change the Page or Printer setup to make sure the setup is the one you want and are using.

When you're in a particular tab-section you can print any text you've written in that section by
choosing 'File' 'Print' 'Section text', or simply by choosing the Print button.

Print the checklist questions of the section you're in through 'File' 'Print' 'Section checklist' (if
you haven't written any text in that section, the Print button will also print the checklist).

Print the whole application by choosing 'File' 'Print' 'Application', or, when you're in the
Application tab-section, by choosing the Print button. You may well prefer, though, to save the
application as an RTF file, through the RTF button, so that you can refine your layout and
formatting in your own word-processor.
 MORE ON PRINTING
Whenever you print, there's usually an option to 'preview' what will be printed. A screen
appears showing the text or report, together with a row of buttons which are slightly different
for reports and for text. In either case, let the mouse hover over a button to see the 'tool-tip'
saying what it does. You can move through the pages, shrink and zoom, revise your setup,
and print.

You can also print, for future reference, parts of the files you reach through the advice and
jargon buttons, by clicking the 'Print' button. Or you can highlight text in those screens then
use Ctrl+C to copy more selectively, then pasting into your own word-processor.
 WRITING AND EDITING TEXT
The word-processor where you write your application and the Jotter work in the same way
(though the jotter doesn't have coloured text). Like a conventional word-processor, to make
your text bold italic or underline, you either click the appropriate button before beginning to
type, or select the text you want to format then click the button. Do the same to change fonts
or font size.

Use the three right-hand buttons to cut, copy or paste text that you've selected. You can paste
text from other programs (yes, nearly said 'applications') into here, or cut or copy from here to
there.

One thing you can not do is, in the Application tab, to cut text: you can only copy and paste
here. Anything you paste is inserted into the section where the cursor was, if you then go
back to the separate bits of text under each tab.
 A NOTE ABOUT WINDOWS
You can make the word-processor or jotter easier to work with by changing the size of the
screens and windows. If you let the mouse hover over any edge of the 'Apply Yourselves'
window, for instance, you'll see the pointer change to a double arrow-head.

When the pointer is this shape, you can click and drag the edge of the window by holding
down the mouse button and moving the mouse. You can therefore make the whole window
wider, or longer. So you can see more on the screen, and eliminate 'scroll bars', if your own
screen is big enough.

Remember, you can do this at the bottom of the window as well as the sides. So, for instance,
you can see more of the questions on any given screen-tab by lengthening the window. Or at
the corners of the window, when the arrow becomes diagonal, you can change height and
width at the same time.

If you let the mouse hover on the dividing line between the word-processor window and the
grey questions area, you'll see the pointer change to a double-headed arrow with lines
through the centre. When that happens you can, again, click and drag the edge. That means
that you can enlarge the word-processor window, to see more of what you've typed, or the
questions area, to see more of the check-list.
application, 3 Help on menu-bar, 25
printing, 26 Jargon button, 18
Application tab, 15 jotter, 21
application, writing, 14 jotter button, 21
Back button, 18 main guide, 10
Balance button, 19 money range, 12
basic idea behind Apply Yourselves, 4 Money tab, 13
blue text, meaning of, 3, 13 opening screens, 11
buttons Order button, 20
Back, 18, 22 Order screen, 20
Balance, 19 organisation, type of, 12
check-list, 19 ply - file extension name, 23
Examples, 18 Print button, 18, 22
Forward, 18, 22 print preview, 27
General advice, 17 printing advice and jargon, 27
Help, 22 printing through File menu, 26
importance of using, 9 questionnaire for others to review
jotter, 21 application, 22, 25
Order, 20 quick guide, 2
Print, 22 red text, meaning of, 3
Report, 22 Reports button, 22
RTF, 22 Reports on menu-bar, 25
Section advice, 17 resizing windows, 29
buttons toolbar, 17 RTF button, 22
check-list button, 19 saving your work, 23
checklist, printing and previewing, 22, 25 second screen, 12
checklist, printing by Section, 26 Section advice button, 17
contents, 1 tabs
Copy disk, 11 Application, 15
Create a new application, how to, 11 general, 13
Deleting applications, 11 Money, 13
Edit an application, how to, 11 printing a section's text, 26
editing in the Application tab, 16 tabs order change, 20
editing text, 28 toolbar of buttons, 17
Editor options, 24 tool-tip, 17
experience, level of, 12 Tutorial, choice on first screen, 11
formatting and layout, 24 windows, manipulating, 29
Forward button, 18 word wrapping, 24
General advice button, 17 word-processing, 28
Help button, 22 writing your application, 14
yellow ribbon, 17