Several people have posted similar statements regarding changes in the way things like this have been changed wth the current version of Pages (and other applications)
But this is a user-to-user community, and although Apple provides the space, there is only limited participation here by Apple employees (moderators who monitor for adherence to the terms of use; community specialists, who monitor for questions that have had no response within a day or so, and provide a response that usually is a reference to knowledge base documents that may have bearing on the issue), but none by the development teams of the various applications, or be Apple Leadership.
Changes to the software require action from the development team. Use the Provide Numbers Feedback menu item in the Numbers menu to make a feature request, asking for this feature to be returned to its earlier (and more efficient) procedure, then provide the details of how this change would improve the usefulness of the application by users.
Apple does read these requests, and has acted on many. But don't expect a reply—Apple will contact you only if they need further details or clarification of your request.
Regards,
Barry