diff --git a/example/CMakeLists.txt b/example/CMakeLists.txt
index c59cc61a3..289d3c33c 100644
--- a/example/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/example/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -20,22 +20,15 @@ if(Ncpu LESS 2)
 endif()
 
 # --- helper functions
-# it is not intended to run examples as tests in the top-level project
-if(NOT PROJECT_IS_TOP_LEVEL)
-  return()
-endif()
-
-
 function(p4est_example name files dir)
 
 add_executable(${name} ${files})
 target_link_libraries(${name} PRIVATE P4EST::P4EST)
 set_target_properties(${name}
   PROPERTIES
-  RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/example/${dir}"
+  RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/${dir}"
   LABELS p4est
 )
-
 endfunction(p4est_example)
 
 
@@ -45,116 +38,88 @@ add_executable(${name} ${files})
 target_link_libraries(${name} PRIVATE P4EST::P4EST)
 set_target_properties(${name}
   PROPERTIES
-  RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/example/${dir}"
+  RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/${dir}"
   LABELS p8est
 )
-
 endfunction(p8est_example)
 
 
+function(p4est_p8est_example name dir)
+
+p4est_example(${name}2 ${dir}/${name}2.c ${dir})
+
+if(enable_p8est)
+  p8est_example(${name}3 ${dir}/${name}3.c ${dir})
+endif()
+endfunction(p4est_p8est_example)
+
 function(p4est_copy_resource dir res_file)
+
 configure_file(
   ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/${dir}/${res_file}
-  ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/example/${dir}/${res_file}
+  ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/${dir}/${res_file}
   COPYONLY
 )
 endfunction()
 
 # --- setup examples
 
-p4est_example(points2 points/points2.c "point")
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  p8est_example(points3 points/points3.c "point")
-endif()
-
-p4est_example(generate_points2 points/generate_points2.c "point")
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  p8est_example(generate_points3 points/generate_points3.c "point")
-endif()
-
+p4est_p8est_example(points points)
+p4est_p8est_example(generate_points points)
 
 if(P4EST_HAVE_GETOPT_H)
 
-set(n particles)
-p4est_example(${n}2 ${n}/${n}2.c ${n})
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  p8est_example(${n}3 ${n}/${n}3.c ${n})
-endif()
-p4est_copy_resource(${n} separt.pl)
-
-set(n spheres)
-p4est_example(${n}2 "${n}/${n}2.c;${n}/p4est_${n}.c" ${n})
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  p8est_example(${n}3 "${n}/${n}3.c;${n}/p8est_${n}.c" ${n})
-endif()
+p4est_p8est_example(particles particles)
+p4est_copy_resource(particles separt.pl)
 
-foreach(n IN ITEMS bricks timings loadconn)
-  p4est_example(${n}2 timings/${n}2.c "timings")
-  if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-    p8est_example(${n}3 timings/${n}3.c ${n} "timings")
-  endif()
+p4est_p8est_example(bricks timings)
+p4est_p8est_example(timings timings)
+p4est_p8est_example(loadconn timings)
+foreach(n IN ITEMS timana.awk timana.sh tsrana.awk tsrana.sh perfscript.sh)
+  p4est_copy_resource(timings ${n})
 endforeach()
-foreach(n IN ITEMS timana tsrana)
-  foreach(r IN ITEMS awk sh)
-    p4est_copy_resource(timings ${n}.${r})
-  endforeach()
-endforeach()
-p4est_copy_resource(timings perfscript.sh)
 
-p8est_example(tsearch3 timings/tsearch3.c "timings")
+if(enable_p8est)
+  p8est_example(tsearch3 timings/tsearch3.c "timings")
+endif()
 
 endif(P4EST_HAVE_GETOPT_H)
 
-set(n balance_seeds)
-p4est_example(${n}2 balance/${n}2.c "balance")
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  p8est_example(${n}3 balance/${n}3.c "balance")
+p4est_p8est_example(balance_seeds balance)
+p4est_p8est_example(balance_corner balance)
+p4est_p8est_example(mesh mesh)
+p4est_p8est_example(simple simple)
+p4est_copy_resource(mesh conndebug.p8c)
+
+if(enable_p8est)
+  p4est_example(periodicity3 mesh/periodicity3.c "mesh")
 endif()
 
-foreach(n IN ITEMS mesh simple)
-  p4est_example(${n}2 ${n}/${n}2.c ${n})
-  if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-    p8est_example(${n}3 ${n}/${n}3.c ${n})
-  endif()
-endforeach()
-p4est_copy_resource(mesh conndebug.p8c)
-p4est_example(periodicity3 mesh/periodicity3.c "mesh")
+p4est_p8est_example(count_quadrants search)
 
-p4est_example(count_quadrants2 search/count_quadrants2.c "search")
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  p8est_example(count_quadrants3 search/count_quadrants3.c "search")
+p4est_p8est_example(read_conn tetgen)
+p4est_p8est_example(write_conn tetgen)
+if(enable_p8est)
+  p8est_example(read_tetgen tetgen/read_tetgen.c "tetgen")
+  p4est_copy_resource(tetgen p8est_box_tetgen.ele)
+  p4est_copy_resource(tetgen p8est_box_tetgen.node)
 endif()
 
-set(s steps)
-foreach(i RANGE 1 5)
-  set(n p4est_step${i})
-  p4est_example(${n} ${s}/${n}.c ${s})
+p4est_example(spheres2 "spheres/spheres2.c;spheres/p4est_spheres.c" "spheres")
+if(enable_p8est)
+  p8est_example(spheres3 "spheres/spheres3.c;spheres/p8est_spheres.c" "spheres")
+endif()
 
-  if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-    set(n p8est_step${i})
-    p8est_example(${n} ${s}/${n}.c ${s})
+foreach(i RANGE 1 5)
+  p4est_example(p4est_step${i} steps/p4est_step${i}.c "steps")
+  if(enable_p8est)
+    p8est_example(p8est_step${i} steps/p8est_step${i}.c "steps")
   endif()
 endforeach()
 
 foreach(n IN ITEMS cubit.inp cubit.jou gmsh.geo gmsh.inp)
-  p4est_copy_resource(${s} hole_2d_${n})
-endforeach()
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  foreach(n IN ITEMS cubit.inp cubit.jou gmsh.geo gmsh.inp)
-    p4est_copy_resource(${s} hole_3d_${n})
-  endforeach()
-  endif()
-
-set(t tetgen)
-foreach(n IN ITEMS read_conn write_conn)
-  p4est_example(${n}2 ${t}/${n}2.c ${t})
-  if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-    p8est_example(${n}3 ${t}/${n}3.c ${t})
+  p4est_copy_resource(steps hole_2d_${n})
+  if(enable_p8est)
+    p4est_copy_resource(steps hole_3d_${n})
   endif()
 endforeach()
-if(P4EST_ENABLE_P8EST)
-  p8est_example(read_${t} ${t}/read_${t}.c ${t})
-  foreach(r IN ITEMS ele node)
-    p4est_copy_resource(${t} p8est_box_${t}.${r})
-  endforeach()
-endif()