can't get the require work with file in puppet module - class

Question

i try to get the following code to run:
class common
{
...
# common packages
package
{
["lsb-release", "figlet"]: ensure => installed,
}
# Print some information if someone logs in:
file { "/etc/motd":
#require => [ Package["figlet"], File["/usr/bin/figlet"] ],
require => Package["figlet"],
content => generate('/usr/bin/env', '/usr/bin/figlet','-w', '186', '-p', '-f', 'banner', "$hostname"),
}
....
}
should't this work?
i get the following error:
err: Could not retrieve catalog from remote server: Error 400 on SERVER: Failed to execute generator /usr/bin/env: Execution of '/usr/bin/env /usr/bin/figlet -w 186 -p -f banner hostname' returned 127: /usr/bin/env: /usr/bin/figlet: No such file or directory
at /etc/puppet/modules/common/manifests/init.pp:37 on node puppetmaster.local
warning: Not using cache on failed catalog
err: Could not retrieve catalog; skipping run
first i had no require (row 12) and no package (row 5-8) in the code, to fix the errors i thought to i can simply add the row 12 (require package figlet) but it does not work. so i added the package figlet, but the the error does not go away.
how to add this dependency? shouldn't puppet run through the code and don't skip the run totally?

Answer 1

generate() runs on the server, not the client. (It's a parser function so it has to run on the server)
The class as you've written it will ensure that clients get figlet installed on them, but then tries to run figlet on the puppetmaster. Just install figlet on your puppetmasters and you won't need the package resources.
Also use smslant font, not banner :)