[GUI Plugin] Sergius Kobo Annotations - Non-destructive highlight/note extractor

[sergheipa]

Hi everyone,

I would like to share a new plugin I developed for Calibre: **Sergius Kobo Annotations**.

### Overview
This plugin connects to your Kobo e-reader (tested on Kobo Clara, compatible with Kobo devices running standard firmware), extracts your highlights and typed notes from both EPUB and KEPUB books, and creates an annotated copy in your open Calibre library without ever touching or modifying your original files.

### Key Features:
* **Completely Non-Destructive:** Your original ebook files remain untouched. It creates a dedicated annotated version with real yellow highlights (<span class="user-highlight">), interactive footnotes with "Back to text" links, and an index page in the Table of Contents.
* **No Unnecessary Duplicates:** Uses SHA-256 hashing to check if annotations have changed. If no new notes were added, it skips the book. If you added new notes, it creates a new dated entry.
* **Smart Reading Tracking:**
* Automatically creates two custom columns if they don't exist: `#date_read` (Date) and `#read_percentage` (Integer).
* If a book is placed in the Kobo collection named `1 read`, it marks the book as completed using the exact `DateLastRead` timestamp, even if reading was interrupted at a lower percentage.
* **Bulk or Single Import:** Includes a dedicated UI dialog allowing you to import all books at once or selectively choose specific titles with checkboxes.
* **Library Agnostic:** Operates directly on whatever library you currently have open in Calibre.

### Requirements:
* Compatible with Calibre 9.x and above (tested on Calibre 9.17 Desktop & Portable).
* Standard Kobo e-reader connected via USB.

### Installation:
1. Download the attached `sergius.kobo-en-v3.zip` (do not unzip).
2. Go to **Preferences** -> **Plugins** -> **Load plugin from file**.
3. Select the zip file and restart Calibre.
4. On the very first run in a library, it will create the two custom columns and ask for a quick restart to display them.

Available in both English and Italian. Download sergius.kobo-en-v3.zip for English or sergius.kobo-v12.zip for Italian.
### Available Downloads:
* **sergius.kobo-en-v3.zip**: Full English version (English UI, English annotations index, creates `#date_read` and `#read_percentage` columns).
* **sergius.kobo-v12.zip**: Italian version (Italian UI, Italian index, creates `#data_lettura` and `#percentuale_lettura` columns).

### Installation:
1. Download your preferred version from the attachments below (do not extract the zip).
2. In Calibre, go to Preferences -> Plugins -> Load plugin from file.
3. Select the zip file and restart Calibre.
4. On the very first run in a library, it will automatically create the custom columns and ask for a quick restart to display them.

Feedback and suggestions are very welcome!

Best regards,
Sergio

[sergheipa]

Italian version placeholder / Versione italiana:
Find attached the localized Italian release (sergius.kobo-v12.zip).