So..how the heck do you "manage" the hotbar. I can't figure out how to get the things i want on the first two (i.e. visible) bars.
Any help appreciated.
First off, check if the tiny lock on the upper right side of the hotbar is opened or closed. To manage the hotbar, open the lock.
Now you can drag out everything you don't want on this page of the hotbar (clic and hold while pulling it out, somewhere up, I suggest).
You can now access your spells screen (I think K is the key to access it). Pull down any (prepared) spell you want in your hotbar, to the slot it is supposed to be pictured in.
For items, I'm not an expert, because I just ignore them (please don't throw tomatoes - or worse - at me). I do know that they vanish from your hotbar if they are no longer in the inventory of the character (for example, if you sent it to another character). Similarly, I think they are automatically added once in your characters possession. I assume you can open your inventory and pull down items you want in your hotbar, too. But I'd have to try this myself before I can say for sure.
Is this comprehensible? Let me know on which part I'm not clear enough!