The document discusses how the Mule ESB File connector allows a Mule application to exchange files with the file system. It provides an example of dynamically setting the attributes of a file outbound connector at runtime by reading values from a JSON file and using those values to configure the outbound endpoint. The Mule flow reads the JSON file, parses the values, sets them as variables, and uses those variables to configure the outbound endpoint, copying the file to the specified work directory. This demonstrates how component attributes can be dynamically set at runtime rather than design time.

1. By Anirban Sen Chowdhary

2. Mule ESB File connector allows our Mule application to exchange files with a file
system.
Mule has different types of connector or components all around for performing
different types of functions. Mule is actually very dynamic and flexible towards it’s
user and provide them a lot of feature in different ways.
One of the important component and connector is File.
We can implement the File connector as an inbound endpoint (as a message
source), or as an outbound endpoint.
Generally a File component and connectors are configured with a flow during
design time.
But it is also possible to set the File component/connector attributes value
dynamically at runtime.
For more info :- https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-user-guide/v/3.7/file-connector

4. Let us consider we have a JSON file as following :-
{
"Folder": "E:/test",
"Pattern": "abc.json",
"WorkDirectory": "E:/test/New folder"
}
Here we can see the JSON input an attribute called Folder which contains the folder name,
pattern and work directory given. Now we will design a Mule flow where the file will be
read by Mule’s file inbound endpoint, parse the JSON and put the values as the attribute of
the file outbound endpoint, where the file will be dispatched… and all this will be set
dynamically !!!

5. Let’s consider our Mule flow as following :-
Here you can see, the file is read, parsed the values and then set those values in outbound
endpoints using Mule variables

6. Now let’s test our flow by placing the file in the inbound folder E:tmp as follows :-

7. Now, we can see the value of outbound path E:test is taken from the input file and the
file is placed in the path E:test :-

8. Now, we can see the file has been pasted in the path E:test which s taken from the
input file :-

9. So, here you can see how to use a Dynamically set the attributes of a file outbound
component and connectors during runtime, you can try this with other component
as well !!!….