Owen and Fred, many thanks to you both for your answers. For now I am going with the splitter approach. I am trying to find a solution that does not require any lisp code...
Two flexible button columns Step 2:
Problem A:
I have managed to add a splitter that stays in the middle of the dialog and sticks to the bottom as I stretch the dialog. This is exactly what is needed... But if I restart the dialog the splitter has either become invisible or shows up in the wrong position. It seems its position is not stored correctly in the registry.
Problem B:
To position the buttons in the left column I need the ID of the splitter. How to you determine a splitter's ID?