Dropbox is a file hosting service that allows users to create a special folder that syncs files across devices. Mule can integrate with Dropbox using the Dropbox connector and OAuth2 authentication. Example flows show how to retrieve account info, download/upload/delete files, and create folders on Dropbox from Mule applications. The Dropbox connector provides an easy way to connect to Dropbox cloud storage and perform common operations.

1. Integration with Dropbox

2. What is Dropbox?
 Dropbox was founded in 2007
 Dropbox is a file hosting service operated by Dropbox, Inc. ,
headquartered in San Francisco, California
 It offers cloud storage, file synchronization, personal cloud,
and client software for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
X, Linux, Android, iOS, BlackBerry OS, Windows
Phone and web browsers
 Dropbox allows users to create a special folder on their
computers, which Dropbox then synchronizes so that it
appears to be the same folder (with the same contents)
regardless of which computer is used to view it. Files placed
in this folder are also accessible via the Dropbox website and
mobile apps

3. Versions and Assumptions
 In this presentation, we are using
 Dropbox Cloud Connector 3.3.0
 Anypoint Studio
 Mule ESB Server 3.5.2
 Mule requester Module 1.2.0
 To integrate Dropbox with Mule ESB, you will need a
Dropbox account
 You will need to create a new Dropbox app under Dropbox
developer apps to be able to communicate with your
Dropbox account from Mule ESB application
 We will be using OAuth2 authentication to connect to
Dropbox using Mule ESB Dropbox Cloud Connector

4. Configuring Dropbox
 Go to https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps
 Click on Create app button
 Click on Dropbox API app

5.  Select “Files and datastores” radio button
 Select “No - My app needs access to files already on Dropbox” radio button
 Select “All file types - My app needs access to a user's full Dropbox” radio
button
 Provide an app name and click on Create app button
 Provide a redirect URI for OAuth2 and click on Add button
 Make a note of the App key, App secret URI as these will be used in our Mule
application
 A sample screen shot is shown in the next slide

7. Configuring Global properties in
Mule
 Create a new Mule Application
 Click on Global Elements tab in
your main flow
 Click on Create Button
 Select Property Placeholder
component
 Provide your property file location
and click on OK

8. Configuring Dropbox
Connector
 Click on Global Elements tab in your main flow
 Click on Create Button
 Select Dropbox under Connector Configuration group
 Add your Dropbox App Key value to App Key text box
 Add your Dropbox Secret value to App Secret text box
 Click on Oauth tab and specify domain, local port, remote port and path
values. These values should be same as provided in Redirect URL during
Dropbox configuration
 A screen shot and sample XML configuration is shown in the next slide

10. Mule Flow for Dropbox
Authentication
 Configure a flow as shown in the below picture
 The XML configuration for this flow is given in the next slide

11.  If the app authorizes to Dropbox app successfully, the connector returns two flow
variables to Mule ESB flow which are “_oauthVerifier” and “OAuthAccessTokenId”
 Using Choice router, we are checking weather the flow received a valid
“OAuthAccessTokenId” or not and based on the response we are determining the
success or failure of the Dropbox authorization

12.  Deploy your Mule application
 Hit the following URL on the browser
http://localhost:2222/dropboxcloudconnect
 Dropbox will ask you to authorize your new app to connect to Dropbox as shown
below. Below screen will be prompted every time you run the app
 Click on Allow button and you should see a message printed on your browser as
“Authorization is successful”

13. Mule Flow for retrieving Dropbox Account Info
 Let’s extend the previous authorize flow and use the authentication
token to retrieve the logged in user account information from Dropbox.
 Change your Mule flow as per the following flow picture

14.  The XML configuration for the flow is as follows

15.  In this flow, we have used get-account operation provided by Dropbox connector
to retrieve the logged in user details and print them on the browser using Object
to JSON message transformer
 Deploy your app
 Hit the following URL on the browser
http://localhost:2222/dropboxcloudconnect
 You should now see the logged in user details printed on your browser in JSON
format

16. Mule Flow for downloading a File
 Modify your previous flow as per the following picture
 The XML configuration for this flow is given in the next slide

18.  Deploy your Mule application
 Hit the following URL on the browser
http://localhost:2222/dropboxcloudconnect
 A message should be printed on your browser as “File downloaded successfully”
 You should now see a file downloaded on your system at the given folder
location

19. Mule Flow for uploading a file
 Modify your previous flow as per the following picture
 Observe that we are using Mule Requestor module to read a file in the
middle of the flow. This component is not available by default and hence
you need to install this from Help -> Install New Software
 The XML configuration for this flow is given in the next slide

21.  Deploy your Mule application
 Hit the following URL on the browser
http://localhost:2222/dropboxcloudconnect
 A message should be printed on your browser as “File uploaded successfully”
 A new file should now be uploaded on your Dropbox at the specified path

22. Mule Flow for deleting a file
 Modify your previous flow as per the following picture
 The XML configuration for this flow is given in the next slide

24.  Deploy your Mule application
 Hit the following URL on the browser
http://localhost:2222/dropboxcloudconnect
 A message should be printed on your browser as “File deleted successfully”. In my
code I am using a file name which already exists on my Dropbox. If the files does
not exist, application will throw an error
 Once the flow execution completes, the specified file will be deleted from
Dropbox

25. Mule flow for creating a folder
 Modify your previous flow as per the following picture
 The XML configuration for this flow is given in the next slide

27.  Deploy your Mule application
 Hit the following URL on the browser
http://localhost:2222/dropboxcloudconnect
 A message should be printed on your browser as “Folder Created successfully”
 A new folder should now be created on your Dropbox at the specified path

28. Conclusion
 Mule ESB Dropbox connector provides an easy way to
connect to Dropbox cloud using OAuth2 authentication and
allows performing several operations
 The latest Dropbox connector is simpler to use compared to
the previous version of Dropbox connectors
 Dropbox Connector is available for Mule ESB community
edition
 Mule Request module allows to retrieve a file in the middle
of the flow and is very easy to use
 You can use Dropbox connector like FTP connector in your
application to upload files directly on Dropbox cloud storage