#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;

//#define int long long
typedef long long ll;

typedef unsigned long long ul;
typedef unsigned int ui;
const ll mod = 1000000007;
const ll INF = mod * mod;
const int INF_N = 1e+9;
typedef pair<int, int> P;
// #define stop char nyaa;cin>>nyaa;
#define rep(i,n) for(int i=0;i<n;i++)
#define per(i,n) for(int i=n-1;i>=0;i--)
#define Rep(i,sta,n) for(int i=sta;i<n;i++)
#define rep1(i,n) for(int i=1;i<=n;i++)
#define per1(i,n) for(int i=n;i>=1;i--)
#define Rep1(i,sta,n) for(int i=sta;i<=n;i++)
#define all(v) (v).begin(),(v).end()
typedef pair<ll, ll> LP;
typedef long double ld;
typedef pair<ld, ld> LDP;
const ld eps = 1e-12;
const ld pi = acos(-1.0);
//typedef vector<vector<ll>> mat;
typedef vector<int> vec;

//繰り返し二乗法
ll mod_pow(ll a, ll n, ll m) {
	ll res = 1;
	while (n) {
		if (n & 1)res = res * a%m;
		a = a * a%m; n >>= 1;
	}
	return res;
}

struct modint {
	ll n;
	modint() :n(0) { ; }
	modint(ll m) :n(m) {
		if (n >= mod)n %= mod;
		else if (n < 0)n = (n%mod + mod) % mod;
	}
	operator int() { return n; }
};
bool operator==(modint a, modint b) { return a.n == b.n; }
modint operator+=(modint &a, modint b) { a.n += b.n; if (a.n >= mod)a.n -= mod; return a; }
modint operator-=(modint &a, modint b) { a.n -= b.n; if (a.n < 0)a.n += mod; return a; }
modint operator*=(modint &a, modint b) { a.n = ((ll)a.n*b.n) % mod; return a; }
modint operator+(modint a, modint b) { return a += b; }
modint operator-(modint a, modint b) { return a -= b; }
modint operator*(modint a, modint b) { return a *= b; }
modint operator^(modint a, int n) {
	if (n == 0)return modint(1);
	modint res = (a*a) ^ (n / 2);
	if (n % 2)res = res * a;
	return res;
}

//逆元(Eucledean algorithm)
ll inv(ll a, ll p) {
	return (a == 1 ? 1 : (1 - p * inv(p%a, a)) / a + p);
}
modint operator/(modint a, modint b) { return a * modint(inv(b, mod)); }

const int max_n = 1 << 18;
modint fact[max_n], factinv[max_n];
void init_f() {
	fact[0] = modint(1);
	for (int i = 0; i < max_n - 1; i++) {
		fact[i + 1] = fact[i] * modint(i + 1);
	}
	factinv[max_n - 1] = modint(1) / fact[max_n - 1];
	for (int i = max_n - 2; i >= 0; i--) {
		factinv[i] = factinv[i + 1] * modint(i + 1);
	}
}
modint comb(int a, int b) {
	if (a < 0 || b < 0 || a < b)return 0;
	return fact[a] * factinv[b] * factinv[a - b];
}
using mP = pair<modint, modint>;

int dx[4] = { 0,1,0,-1 };
int dy[4] = { 1,0,-1,0 };

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++; }
};

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);
        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);
        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;
};

void solve() {
    int n, m; cin >> n >> m;
    vector<string> grid(n);
    rep(i, n) cin >> grid[i];
    mf_graph<int> g(n*m+2);
    int s = n*m, t = n*m+1;
    rep(i, n){
        rep(j, m){
            if(grid[i][j] == '#') continue;
            int v = i*m + j;
            if((i+j)%2 == 0){
                g.add_edge(s, v, 1);
            }else{
                g.add_edge(v, t, 1);
            }
        }
    }
    rep(i, n){
        rep(j, m){
            if((i+j)%2 || grid[i][j] == '#') continue;
            int v0 = i*m + j;
            if(i && grid[i-1][j] == '.'){
                int v1 = (i-1)*m + j;
                g.add_edge(v0, v1, 1);
            }
            if(j && grid[i][j-1] == '.'){
                int v1 = i*m + j-1;
                g.add_edge(v0, v1, 1);
            }
            if(i < n-1 && grid[i+1][j] == '.'){
                int v1 = (i+1)*m + j;
                g.add_edge(v0, v1, 1);
            }
            if(j < m-1 && grid[i][j+1] == '.'){
                int v1 = i*m + j+1;
                g.add_edge(v0, v1, 1);
            }
        }
    }
    cout << g.flow(s, t) << endl;

    auto edges = g.edges();
    for(auto e: edges){
        if(e.from == s || e.to == t || e.flow == 0) continue;
        int i0 = e.from/m, j0 = e.from%m;
        int i1 = e.to/m, j1 = e.to%m;

        if(i0 == i1+1){
            grid[i1][j1] = 'v';
            grid[i0][j0] = '^';
        }else if(j0 == j1+1){
            grid[i1][j1] = '>'; grid[i0][j0] = '<';
        }else if(i0+1 == i1){
            grid[i0][j0] = 'v';
            grid[i1][j1] = '^';
        }else{
            grid[i0][j0] = '>'; grid[i1][j1] = '<';
        }
    }
    rep(i, n){
        cout << grid[i] << endl;
    }
}

signed main() {
  ios::sync_with_stdio(false);
  cin.tie(0);
  //cout << fixed << setprecision(10);
  //init_f();
  //init();
  //int t; cin >> t; rep(i, t)solve();
  solve();
//   stop
    return 0;
}


Measured memory_bytes: 9692