The answer to the question really depends on the operation and what's being flown. ,My present employment requires that the airplane be fully configured before the final approach fix on a non-precision approach. On a precision approach, the standard is to extend flaps to 1, 5, and 10 on the base or vectors, and then once established on the localizer and the glideslope comes alive, set flaps 20. With the glideslope one dot above, gear comes down, and with the glideslope captured, the flaps are set at the final approach configuration of flaps 25.
This varies with the approach, of course. On a short vector or intercept, or when light and being dumped on the approach, the gear may be dropped out of sequence and much earlier, and the airplane in general may be configured earlier. In certain situations, the aircraft may be configured much earlier, such as a flap malfunction, or other situation involving the use of alternate systems. In other cases, final configuration may come muchlater, at 500' or less, due to constraints of the aircraft operation at that time.
In other kinds of operations, we've only configured when the landing is assured, due to the airplane's very poor climb out performance with an engine failed in the landing configuration, or due to operational requirements.
What's done where and when, really depends on what's being flown, how, why, and for whom.