Implementation:Nightwatchjs Nightwatch Page Commands Interface

Knowledge Sources	Nightwatch Nightwatch Page Object Commands
Domains	Testing, Design_Patterns, Page_Object_Model
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Interface specification for defining page-specific commands as object literals or ES6 classes in Nightwatch.js page objects.

Description

Page commands are defined in the commands property of a page object module. Two styles are supported: object-based (an array of objects with method definitions) and class-based (an ES6 class). In both cases, this is bound to the page object instance, providing access to all Nightwatch commands, element aliases via @, and the this.api property for the full Nightwatch API.

Usage

Use object-based commands for simple method collections. Use class-based commands when you need inheritance, private methods, or more structured organization.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: nightwatch
• File: examples/pages/google/search.js (lines 1-10)
• File: examples/pages/google/consent.js (lines 1-31)
• File: examples/pages/nightwatchFeatures.js (lines 1-17)

Signature

// Object-based commands (array of objects)
commands: [{
  methodName(args) {
    this.waitForElementVisible('@element');
    this.click('@element');
    return this; // Enable chaining
  }
}]

// Class-based commands
commands: class PageCommands {
  methodName(args) {
    this.page.section.sectionName.click('@element');
    return this;
  }
}

Import

// Defined within a page object module - no separate import

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
this	PageObject	Automatic	Bound to the page object instance with all Nightwatch commands
this.api	NightwatchAPI	Automatic	Full Nightwatch API for advanced operations
@elementName	string	N/A	Element alias prefix for referencing named elements

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
this	PageObject	Commands should return this for method chaining

Usage Examples

Object-Based Commands

const searchCommands = {
  submit() {
    this.waitForElementVisible('@submitButton', 1000)
      .click('@submitButton');
    this.pause(1000);
    return this;
  }
};

module.exports = {
  url: 'https://google.no',
  commands: [searchCommands],
  elements: {
    searchBar: { selector: 'textarea[name=q]' },
    submitButton: { selector: 'input[value="Google Search"]' }
  }
};

Class-Based Commands

class ConsentCommand {
  turnOffSearchCustomization() {
    this.page.section.customizeSearch.click('@turnOffButton');
    return this;
  }

  confirm() {
    this.page.section.consentForm.click('@submitButton');
    return this;
  }

  turnOffEverything() {
    return this.turnOffSearchCustomization()
      .confirm();
  }
}

module.exports = {
  url: 'http://google.com',
  commands: ConsentCommand,
  sections: { /* ... */ }
};

Related Pages

Implements Principle

• Principle:Nightwatchjs_Nightwatch_Page_Commands