I don't think I've encountered that error. Here is a list of things to do to make the main bar vertical instead of horizontal. Try these and let me know if it works for you:
1) Open the config window by Left Clicking on the Minimap button (or by typing /autobar config)
2) Click the "Bars" tab along the top of the config window
3) Click the "Basic" bar in the list that appears along the left side of the config window
4) Using the scrollbar on the right side of the config window, scroll down until you see "Rows" and "Columns"
5) By default Rows will be 1, and Columns will be something like 15. Change Rows to 15 and Columns to 1.
6) There is a dropdown right below that titled "Popup Direction", you'll want to change that to Left or Right, depending on what side you put the bar on.
Let me know if that works for you.