diff --git a/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt b/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
index e074d01d8c..d8cf84d141 100644
--- a/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/docs/examples/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ set(_all "all")
 foreach(_target IN LISTS check_PROGRAMS _all)
   set(_target_name "curl-example-${_target}")
   if(_target STREQUAL "all")
-    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL 3.12)
-      set(_example_c "${check_PROGRAMS}")
-      list(TRANSFORM _example_c APPEND ".c")
-      add_library(${_target_name} OBJECT EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${_example_c})
-      message(STATUS "|${_example_c}|")
+    if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_LESS 3.12)
+      continue()
     endif()
+    set(_example_c "${check_PROGRAMS}")
+    list(TRANSFORM _example_c APPEND ".c")
+    add_library(${_target_name} OBJECT EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL ${_example_c})
   else()
     set(_onetest ${_target_name})  # ends with a single, existing test for curl-examples-build target
     add_executable(${_target_name} EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL "${_target}.c")