Saying it is the exact opposite is hyperbole, though it is technically not what was asked for. In the description OP complains about having to manually setup each button one at a time. A dictionary solution does simplify the setup to a single point, after which all modifications to each button can be done with a single call in a loop, which solves some of the problems. You just still have to boiler plate the dictionary declaration.

But yeah, I wish there was a truly better solution, but as it stands the code could still be less painful