#include <algorithm>
#include <bitset>
#include <complex>
#include <deque>
#include <exception>
#include <fstream>
#include <functional>
#include <iomanip>
#include <ios>
#include <iosfwd>
#include <iostream>
#include <istream>
#include <iterator>
#include <limits>
#include <list>
#include <locale>
#include <map>
#include <memory>
#include <new>
#include <numeric>
#include <ostream>
#include <queue>
#include <set>
#include <sstream>
#include <stack>
#include <stdexcept>
#include <streambuf>
#include <string>
#include <typeinfo>
#include <utility>
#include <valarray>
#include <vector>
#include <climits>
#include <cstring>
#include <cassert>

#include <algorithm>

#include <vector>

namespace atcoder {

namespace internal {

template <class T> struct simple_queue {
    std::vector<T> payload;
    int pos = 0;
    void reserve(int n) { payload.reserve(n); }
    int size() const { return int(payload.size()) - pos; }
    bool empty() const { return pos == int(payload.size()); }
    void push(const T& t) { payload.push_back(t); }
    T& front() { return payload[pos]; }
    void clear() {
        payload.clear();
        pos = 0;
    }
    void pop() { pos++; }
};

}  // namespace internal

}  // namespace atcoder

#include <cassert>
#include <limits>
#include <queue>
#include <vector>

namespace atcoder {

template <class Cap> struct mf_graph {
  public:
    mf_graph() : _n(0) {}
    mf_graph(int n) : _n(n), g(n) {}

    int add_edge(int from, int to, Cap cap) {
        assert(0 <= from && from < _n);
        assert(0 <= to && to < _n);
        assert(0 <= cap);
        int m = int(pos.size());
        pos.push_back({from, int(g[from].size())});
        g[from].push_back(_edge{to, int(g[to].size()), cap});
        g[to].push_back(_edge{from, int(g[from].size()) - 1, 0});
        return m;
    }

    struct edge {
        int from, to;
        Cap cap, flow;
    };

    edge get_edge(int i) {
        int m = int(pos.size());
        assert(0 <= i && i < m);
        auto _e = g[pos[i].first][pos[i].second];
        auto _re = g[_e.to][_e.rev];
        return edge{pos[i].first, _e.to, _e.cap + _re.cap, _re.cap};
    }
    std::vector<edge> edges() {
        int m = int(pos.size());
        std::vector<edge> result;
        for (int i = 0; i < m; i++) {
            result.push_back(get_edge(i));
        }
        return result;
    }
    void change_edge(int i, Cap new_cap, Cap new_flow) {
        int m = int(pos.size());
        assert(0 <= i && i < m);
        assert(0 <= new_flow && new_flow <= new_cap);
        auto& _e = g[pos[i].first][pos[i].second];
        auto& _re = g[_e.to][_e.rev];
        _e.cap = new_cap - new_flow;
        _re.cap = new_flow;
    }

    Cap flow(int s, int t) {
        return flow(s, t, std::numeric_limits<Cap>::max());
    }
    Cap flow(int s, int t, Cap flow_limit) {
        assert(0 <= s && s < _n);
        assert(0 <= t && t < _n);

        std::vector<int> level(_n), iter(_n);
        internal::simple_queue<int> que;

        auto bfs = [&]() {
            std::fill(level.begin(), level.end(), -1);
            level[s] = 0;
            que.clear();
            que.push(s);
            while (!que.empty()) {
                int v = que.front();
                que.pop();
                for (auto e : g[v]) {
                    if (e.cap == 0 || level[e.to] >= 0) continue;
                    level[e.to] = level[v] + 1;
                    if (e.to == t) return;
                    que.push(e.to);
                }
            }
        };
        auto dfs = [&](auto self, int v, Cap up) {
            if (v == s) return up;
            Cap res = 0;
            int level_v = level[v];
            for (int& i = iter[v]; i < int(g[v].size()); i++) {
                _edge& e = g[v][i];
                if (level_v <= level[e.to] || g[e.to][e.rev].cap == 0) continue;
                Cap d =
                    self(self, e.to, std::min(up - res, g[e.to][e.rev].cap));
                if (d <= 0) continue;
                g[v][i].cap += d;
                g[e.to][e.rev].cap -= d;
                res += d;
                if (res == up) break;
            }
            return res;
        };

        Cap flow = 0;
        while (flow < flow_limit) {
            bfs();
            if (level[t] == -1) break;
            std::fill(iter.begin(), iter.end(), 0);
            while (flow < flow_limit) {
                Cap f = dfs(dfs, t, flow_limit - flow);
                if (!f) break;
                flow += f;
            }
        }
        return flow;
    }

    std::vector<bool> min_cut(int s) {
        std::vector<bool> visited(_n);
        internal::simple_queue<int> que;
        que.push(s);
        while (!que.empty()) {
            int p = que.front();
            que.pop();
            visited[p] = true;
            for (auto e : g[p]) {
                if (e.cap && !visited[e.to]) {
                    visited[e.to] = true;
                    que.push(e.to);
                }
            }
        }
        return visited;
    }

  private:
    int _n;
    struct _edge {
        int to, rev;
        Cap cap;
    };
    std::vector<std::pair<int, int>> pos;
    std::vector<std::vector<_edge>> g;
};

}  // namespace atcoder



using namespace std;
using namespace atcoder;

#define SZ(x) (int)(x.size())
#define REP(i, n) for(int i=0;i<n;++i)
#define FOR(i, a, b) for(int i=a;i<b;++i)
#define RREP(i, n) for(int i=n-1;i>=0;--i)
#define RFOR(i, a, b) for(int i=b-1;i>=a;--i)

#define all(x) begin(x),end(x)
#define dump(x) cerr<<#x<<" = "<<(x)<<endl
#define debug(x) cerr<<#x<<" = "<<(x)<<" (L"<<__LINE__<<")"<< endl;

using ll = long long;
using vi = vector<int>;
using vvi = vector<vi>;
using vll = vector<ll>;
using vvll = vector<vll>;
using P = pair<int, int>;
const double eps = 1e-8;
const ll MOD = 1000000007;
const int INF = INT_MAX / 2;
const ll LINF = LLONG_MAX / 2;

template<class T>
bool chmax(T &a, const T &b) {
    if (a < b) {
        a = b;
        return true;
    }
    return false;
}

template<class T>
bool chmin(T &a, const T &b) {
    if (b < a) {
        a = b;
        return true;
    }
    return false;
}


template<typename T1, typename T2>
ostream &operator<<(ostream &os, const pair<T1, T2> p) {
    os << p.first << ":" << p.second;
    return os;
}

template<class T>
ostream &operator<<(ostream &os, const vector<T> &v) {
    os << "[";
    REP(i, SZ(v)) {
        if (i) os << ", ";
        os << v[i];
    }
    return os << "]";
}

template<class T1, class T2>
ostream &operator<<(ostream &os, const map<T1, T2> &mp) {
    os << "[";
    for (auto it = mp.begin(); it != mp.end(); ++it) {
        if (it != mp.begin()) {
            os << ", ";
        }
        os << *it;
    }
    return os << "]";
}

// edit
int center(int l, int m, int r) {
    return l <= m && m < r;
}

void solve() {
    int N, M;
    cin >> N >> M;
    vector<string> S(N);
    auto conv = [&](int h, int w) {
        return h * M + w;
    };
    REP(i, N) cin >> S[i];
    mf_graph<int> G(N * M + 2);
    int start = N * M;
    int goal = start + 1;
    for (int i = 0; i < N; ++i) {
        for (int j = 0; j < M; ++j) {
            if (S[i][j] == '.') {
                if ((i + j) % 2) {
                    G.add_edge(start, conv(i, j), 1);
                    int di[] = {-1, 0, 1, 0};
                    int dj[] = {0, -1, 0, 1};
                    for (int k = 0; k < 4; ++k) {
                        int ni = i + di[k];
                        int nj = j + dj[k];
                        if (center(0, ni, N) && center(0, nj, M)) {
                            int from = conv(i, j);
                            int to = conv(ni, nj);
                            G.add_edge(from, to, 1);
                        }
                    }
                } else {
                    G.add_edge(conv(i, j), goal, 1);
                }
            }
        }
    }

    int sz = G.flow(start, goal);
    auto edges = G.edges();
    for (auto edge : edges) {
        if (edge.flow == 1 && edge.from != start && edge.to != goal) {
            int val1 = edge.from;
            int val2 = edge.to;
            int h1, w1, h2, w2;
            h1 = val1 / M;
            w1 = val1 % M;
            h2 = val2 / M;
            w2 = val2 % M;
            if (h1 == h2) {
                if (w1 > w2) swap(w1, w2);
                S[h1][w1] = '>';
                S[h2][w2] = '<';
            } else {
                if (h1 > h2) swap(h1, h2);
                S[h1][w1] = 'v';
                S[h2][w2] = '^';
            }
        }
    }

    cout << sz << endl;
    for (auto e : S) {
        cout << e << endl;
    }
}


int main() {
    cin.tie(0);
    ios::sync_with_stdio(false);
    cout << fixed << setprecision(10);
//    std::ifstream in("input.txt");
//    std::cin.rdbuf(in.rdbuf());

    solve();


    return 0;
}


Measured memory_bytes: 4944