> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.instabase.com/academy/learning-paths/developer/advanced-apps/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.instabase.com/_mcp/server.

# Flow editor and advanced apps

> Build complex document workflows with the flow editor, Refiner, and custom code.

Welcome to *Flow editor and advanced apps*, a developer-focused course designed to take your automation capabilities further. If you've mastered the basics of *App editor and standard apps* and are ready to tackle highly complex, non-linear document workflows, this course is for you.

This course shows how to transition from standard applications into advanced apps--leveraging developer-grade features to build sophisticated pipelines. You'll learn how to orchestrate multi-stage document processing pathways using the flow editor, fine-tune high-fidelity data extraction schemas using Refiner, and inject custom programming logic by building custom user-defined functions (UDFs).

By the end of this course, you'll have the skills to architect, code, and deploy resilient, production-ready document processing engines capable of handling your enterprise's most challenging data-extraction use cases.

Tasks in these topics require the [advanced developer role](/admin/roles/) or higher and for your organization to have advanced view enabled.

## Who should attend

* **Technical app developers and solutions engineers** -- Extend the capabilities of standard app editor applications.

* **Systems architects and integration specialists** -- Design end-to-end data pipelines for downstream enterprise consumption.

* **Data and software engineers** -- Use custom Python code and custom schemas inside Instabase.

## Learning objectives

By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

* Initiate and transition advanced apps by migrating an app editor project into a flow project or setting up a complex project from scratch.

* Orchestrate non-linear document processing pipelines in the flow editor using advanced steps like *Agent classifier*, *Agent extract*, and *Apply checkpoint* validations.

* Normalize complex data structures by visually modeling and mapping schemas inside the Refiner workspace.

* Develop and integrate custom user-defined functions (UDFs)--including map, reduce, pre-flow, and post-flow calculations--while leveraging reusable Developer Exchange packages.

* Audit, validate, and deploy production-ready applications by configuring Flow Review (human-in-the-loop) steps, monitoring solution accuracy, and managing final app releases.

> Build complex document workflows with the flow editor, Refiner, and custom code.

## Docs

- [Course introduction](https://docs.instabase.com/academy/learning-paths/developer/flow-editor/introduction.md): Overview of the flow editor and advanced apps course for advanced developers.
- [Creating flows](https://docs.instabase.com/academy/learning-paths/developer/flow-editor/creating-flows.md): Export an app editor project as a flow, or create a flow project from scratch.
- [Planning and building flows](https://docs.instabase.com/academy/learning-paths/developer/flow-editor/building-flows.md): Plan and build pipelines with core flow steps, Refiner, classifiers, extractors, and checkpoints.
- [Using user-defined functions](https://docs.instabase.com/academy/learning-paths/developer/flow-editor/udfs.md): Leverage user-defined functions in the flow editor.
- [Publishing advanced apps](https://docs.instabase.com/academy/learning-paths/developer/flow-editor/publishing-advanced-apps.md): Review a flow run, publish an advanced app, and validate human-in-the-loop results.