diff --git a/manual/template_lang.rst b/manual/template_lang.rst
index 34656e84e7..fe0d17cf3a 100644
--- a/manual/template_lang.rst
+++ b/manual/template_lang.rst
@@ -600,6 +600,27 @@ In `GPM` the functions described in `Single Function Mode` all require an additi
 
 
 * ``has_cover()`` -- return ``'Yes'`` if the book has a cover, otherwise the empty string.
+* ``has_note(field_name, field_value)``. This function has two variants:
+
+ * if ``field_value`` is not ``''`` (the empty string) return ``'1'`` if the value ``field_value`` in the field ``field_name`` has a note, otherwise ``''``. Example:::
+
+     has_note('tags', 'Fiction')
+
+  returns ``'1'`` if the tag ``fiction`` has an attached note, otherwise ``''``.
+
+ * If ``field_value`` is ``''`` then return a list of values in ``field_name`` that have a note. If no item in the field has a note, return ``''``.  This variant is useful for showing column icons if any value in the field has a note, rather than a specific value.
+
+  Example::
+
+    has_note('authors', '')
+
+  returns a list of authors that have notes. or ``''`` if no author has a note.
+
+  You can test if all the values in ``field_name`` have a note by comparing the list length of this function's return value against the list length of the values in ``field_name``. Example::
+
+    list_count(has_note('authors', ''), '&') ==# list_count_field('authors')
+
+
 * ``has_extra_files([pattern])`` -- returns the count of extra files, otherwise '' (the empty string). If the optional parameter ``pattern`` (a regular expression) is supplied then the list is filtered to files that match ``pattern`` before the files are counted. The pattern match is case insensitive. See also the functions ``extra_file_names()``, ``extra_file_size()`` and ``extra_file_modtime()``. This function can be used only in the GUI.
 * ``identifier_in_list(val, id_name [, found_val, not_found_val])`` -- treat ``val`` as a list of identifiers separated by commas. An identifier has the format ``id_name:value``. The ``id_name`` parameter is the id_name text to search for, either ``id_name`` or ``id_name:regexp``. The first case matches if there is any identifier matching that id_name. The second case matches if id_name matches an identifier and the regexp matches the identifier's value. If ``found_val`` and ``not_found_val`` are provided then if there is a match then return ``found_val``, otherwise return ``not_found_val``. If ``found_val`` and ``not_found_val`` are not provided then if there is a match then return the ``identifier:value`` pair, otherwise the empty string (``''``).
 * ``is_dark_mode()`` -- returns ``'1'`` if calibre is running in dark mode, ``''`` (the empty string) otherwise. This function can be used in advanced color and icon rules to choose different colors/icons according to the mode. Example::
diff --git a/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py b/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py
index 89a0d07e6f..72c08bd899 100644
--- a/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py
+++ b/src/calibre/utils/formatter_functions.py
@@ -2630,23 +2630,40 @@ class BuiltinHasNote(BuiltinFormatterFunction):
     name = 'has_note'
     arg_count = 2
     category = 'Template database functions'
-    __doc__ = doc = _("has_note(field_name, field_value) -- return '1' "
-                      "if the value 'field_value' in the field 'field_name' "
-                      "has an attached note, '' otherwise. Example: "
-                      "has_note('tags', 'Fiction') returns '1' if the tag "
-                      "'fiction' has an attached note, '' otherwise.")
+    __doc__ = doc = _("has_note(field_name, field_value) -- if field_value is not "
+                      "'' (the empty string) , return '1' if the value 'field_value' "
+                      "in the field 'field_name' has an attached note, otherwise ''. "
+                      "Example: has_note('tags', 'Fiction') returns '1' if the tag "
+                      "'fiction' has a note, otherwise ''. If field_value "
+                      "is '' then return a list of values in field_name that have "
+                      "a note. If no item in the field has a note, return ''. "
+                      "Example: has_note('authors', '') returns a list of authors "
+                      "that have notes. or '' if no author has a note. The second "
+                      "variant is useful for showing column icons icons if any value "
+                      "in the field has a note, rather than a specific value. "
+                      "You can also test if all the values have a note by comparing "
+                      "the list length of this function's return value against "
+                      "the list length of the values in field_name.")
 
     def evaluate(self, formatter, kwargs, mi, locals, field_name, field_value):
         db = self.get_database(mi).new_api
-        note = None
+        if field_value:
+            note = None
+            try:
+                item_id = db.get_item_id(field_name, field_value, case_sensitive=True)
+                if item_id is not None:
+                    note = db.notes_data_for(field_name, item_id)
+            except Exception as e:
+                traceback.print_exc()
+                raise ValueError(str(e))
+            return '1' if note is not None else ''
         try:
-            item_id = db.get_item_id(field_name, field_value, case_sensitive=True)
-            if item_id is not None:
-                note = db.notes_data_for(field_name, item_id)
+            notes_for_book = db.items_with_notes_in_book(mi.id)
+            values = [v for v in notes_for_book.get(field_name, {}).values()]
+            return db.field_metadata[field_name]['is_multiple'].get('list_to_ui', ', ').join(values)
         except Exception as e:
             traceback.print_exc()
-            raise ValueError(e)
-        return '1' if note is not None else ''
+            raise ValueError(str(e))
 
 
 class BuiltinIsDarkMode(BuiltinFormatterFunction):