I don't suppose I have posted an overview of the methods for getting annotations from the Kobo devices. I would just point to the last time I posted this, but looking at it, it is missing some options and details.
Firstly, I an not happy with any of these methods. They all have limitations or need extra work or something. But, I also don't use any of them much. Most annotations I make are to mark errors in a book or something I want to look up later. Once I have fixed the problem or looked up the info, I delete the annotation. I know that some people want permanent annotations, but I haven't seen anything that comes close to a highlighter pen and a paper book.
Enough preamble, on to the methods...
Firstly, there is the method already discussed: run some SQL against the database and save the output. If you have any SQL skills, this is simple and can be easily customised. There have been also been several scripts posted here that do the same thing.
On the device, you can add "ExportHighlights=true" into the FeatureSettings section of the config file. With this, the long press menu of the book will have an extra option, "Export highlights" (or something like this). Using this will prompt you for a file name and export the annotations to that file in the root directory of the device.
If you are a calibre user, there is "Fetch annotations" (or something like that) on the device menu. This appends the annotations to the comments field of the metadata in the calibre library. It shows the highlighted text plus the annotation.
Again for calibre users, there is the
Annotation plugin. Like the built-in calibre function, this fetches the annotations, but it can put them into a custom column. It is also handles them better if you use multiple devices or change them in the calibre library. This supports Kobo and Kindle devices plus some ereader apps. This plugin was created by someone else, but I am maintaining it.
As meera said, my
Kobo Utilities plugin has a annotations function. It is basically the calibre "Fetch annotations" but written to a dialog that you can copy the text from. I wrote this before the Annotations plugin existed and do not recommend this. But, if I remove it, someone is sure to complain.
tshering wrote a
nice little tool for Windows that extracts the annotations. I don't think it has been updated for a while, but the way annotations are stored hasn't changed, so it should still work.
Lastly, if the epub is on the main memory of the device, there is a file with the annotations in it. This is produced by the Adobe RMSDK side of the reader. It is in the directory "Digital Editions/Annotations". The rest of the path matches the path to the epub and the file has the extension "annot". This is an XML file that can easily be read to see the annotations. And with a little care, can be copied to the PC to use with ADE.