Implementation:Nightwatchjs Nightwatch Globals Type Definitions

Knowledge Sources	Nightwatchjs_Nightwatch Nightwatch Globals
Domains	Configuration, Type_System, Test_Lifecycle
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

TypeScript type definitions for Nightwatch's external test globals interface, including timeout settings, lifecycle hooks, and custom reporter configuration.

Description

The globals.d.ts file defines:

NightwatchGlobals — The user-facing globals interface extending `NightwatchInternalGlobals` with an index signature for custom properties.
NightwatchInternalGlobals — Built-in global settings including:
- Timeout controls: `waitForConditionTimeout` (default 5000ms), `waitForConditionPollInterval` (default 500ms), `asyncHookTimeout` (default 10000ms), `unitTestsTimeout` (default 2000ms), `customReporterCallbackTimeout` (default 20000ms), `retryAssertionTimeout` (default 5000ms).
- Behavior flags: `abortOnAssertionFailure` (default true), `abortOnElementLocateError` (default false), `throwOnMultipleElementsReturned` (default false), `suppressWarningsOnMultipleElementsReturned` (default false), `reuseBrowserSession` (default false).
- Lifecycle hooks: `before(done)`, `after(done)`, `beforeEach(browser, done)`, `afterEach(browser, done)`.
- Navigation hooks: `onBrowserNavigate(browser)`, `onBrowserQuit(browser)`.
- Custom reporter: `reporter(results, done)`.

Usage

These types are used when defining an external globals module (referenced by `globals_path` in config) or when setting `globals` inline in `nightwatch.conf.ts`. They provide autocompletion for all timeout values, behavior flags, and lifecycle hooks.

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: Nightwatchjs_Nightwatch
File: types/globals.d.ts
Lines: 1-214

Signature

export interface NightwatchGlobals extends NightwatchInternalGlobals {
  [key: string]: any;
}

export interface NightwatchInternalGlobals {
  abortOnAssertionFailure?: boolean;
  waitForConditionPollInterval?: number;
  waitForConditionTimeout?: number;
  abortOnElementLocateError?: boolean;
  throwOnMultipleElementsReturned?: boolean;
  suppressWarningsOnMultipleElementsReturned?: boolean;
  asyncHookTimeout?: number;
  unitTestsTimeout?: number;
  customReporterCallbackTimeout?: number;
  retryAssertionTimeout?: number;
  reuseBrowserSession?: boolean;
  reporter?(results: unknown, done: (...args: unknown[]) => void): void;
  before?(done: (err?: unknown) => void): void;
  after?(done: (err?: unknown) => void): void;
  beforeEach?(browser: NightwatchAPI, done: (err?: unknown) => void): void;
  afterEach?(browser: NightwatchAPI, done: (err?: unknown) => void): void;
  onBrowserNavigate?(browser: NightwatchAPI): Promise<void>;
  onBrowserQuit?(browser: NightwatchAPI): Promise<void>;
}

Import

import { NightwatchGlobals } from 'nightwatch';

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
waitForConditionTimeout	number	No	Default timeout for waitFor commands (ms)
abortOnAssertionFailure	boolean	No	Whether to abort test on first assertion failure
before/after	function	No	Global lifecycle hooks
Custom properties	any	No	User-defined globals accessible in tests

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
Globals object	NightwatchGlobals	Available as `browser.globals` in all tests

Usage Examples

External Globals Module

import { NightwatchGlobals } from 'nightwatch';

const globals: NightwatchGlobals = {
  waitForConditionTimeout: 10000,
  waitForConditionPollInterval: 500,
  abortOnAssertionFailure: true,
  retryAssertionTimeout: 5000,

  // Custom properties
  testEnv: 'staging',
  apiUrl: 'https://api.staging.example.com',

  // Global hooks
  before(done) {
    console.log('Starting test run...');
    done();
  },

  afterEach(browser, done) {
    console.log(`Finished: ${browser.currentTest.name}`);
    done();
  },

  onBrowserNavigate(browser) {
    return Promise.resolve();
  },
};

export default globals;

Inline Globals in Config

import { NightwatchOptions } from 'nightwatch';

const config: NightwatchOptions = {
  globals_path: './globals.ts',
  test_settings: {
    default: {
      globals: {
        waitForConditionTimeout: 15000,
        myCustomData: { key: 'value' },
      },
    },
  },
};

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