Thanks for elucidating a bit Ragnarok. I do want to point out, though, that what you're saying is that in order to not be harassed by the game doing something that you've made it obvious you don't want it to do, you, the player, need to impose a work-around, to trick the game system into not harassing you any more. That's not an acceptable solution.

It's also not a solution when you're a tenth level sorcerer and pages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are ALL taken up, completely, with your spells and the various meta-magic combinations oftem - becasue at that point, each of your spells will likely need between five and sixteen(!!!) nearly-identical-looking buttons Each just to cover your options and metamagic options.

Here's an example:

You're a tenth level soreress who took Metamagic Adept at 8th level.
You know 'Empower', 'Seeking', 'Subtle', 'Distant' and 'Twin' Metamagics.
You know Chromatic Orb.

In the current game design and method, your hotbars will now need to contain:

[Chromatic Orb]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)]
[Chromatic Orb (Seeking)]
[Chromatic Orb (Subtle)]
[Chromatic Orb (Distant)]
[Chromatic Orb (Twin)]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Subtle)]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Distant)]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Twin)]
[Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Subtle)]
[Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Distant)]
[Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Twin)]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Subtle)]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Distant)]
[Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Twin)]

Oh.

Oh, wait, no.

Chromatic Orb needs you to select an element.

So... That's actually...

[(Acid) Chromatic Orb]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Subtle)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Distant)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Twin)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Subtle)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Distant)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Twin)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Acid) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Subtle)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Distant)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Twin)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Subtle)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Distant)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Twin)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Cold) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Subtle)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Distant)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Twin)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Subtle)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Distant)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Twin)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Fire) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Subtle)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Distant)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Twin)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Subtle)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Distant)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Twin)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Lightning) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Subtle)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Distant)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Twin)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Subtle)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Distant)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Twin)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Poison) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Subtle)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Distant)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Twin)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Subtle)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Distant)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Twin)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Seeking)(Twin)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Subtle)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Distant)]
[(Thunder) Chromatic Orb (Empower)(Seeking)(Twin)]

For a total of... Ninety-Six (96) Hotbar buttons.

That's ONE spell. You, at tenth level, know ten more as well, plus six cantrips, all of which can also have metamagic applied to them. They won't all be quite as slot greedy as good old chromatic orb, of course, but they'll each need a handful of extra buttons all to themselves.

The hotbar system on its own is just not tenable in any way for this.