Last trip I sat on a 738 in row 1:
Doors to automatic: Take the little bar off it's hangar on the door and clip it to the floor. Put the little orange tape across the window
Doors to manual: unclip from floor and clip into hangar on door, remove orange tape.
So I'm picking it wouldn't matter which side the door was opened from, and that the sole purpose of the orange tape is to indicate to person outside NOT to pull the handle.
The question I've always wanted to ask, but never dared (for fear of being escorted from the cabin in handcuffs and sent straight to a well known bay, never to return...)
Is there some kind of interlock stopping someone pulling the door in the cruise? It would seem deceptively easy for some nutjob to head for the toilet, then yank the handle at the last minute! However, if there's an interlock, who makes sure it's disengaged when it all goes wrong (prior to the big thump) - would seem flight crew would be more preoccupied attempting to avoid big thump.
Actually, I think I may have just answered my own question: is it just a case of the internal pressurisation being enough to hold the door against the seal harder than any person can pull?