#include<bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
#define rep(i,n) for(ll i=0;i<n;i++)
#define repl(i,l,r) for(ll i=(l);i<(r);i++)
#define per(i,n) for(ll i=n-1;i>=0;i--)
#define perl(i,r,l) for(ll i=r-1;i>=l;i--)
#define fi first
#define se second
#define pb push_back
#define ins insert
#define pqueue(x) priority_queue<x,vector<x>,greater<x>>
#define all(x) (x).begin(),(x).end()
#define CST(x) cout<<fixed<<setprecision(x)
#define rev(x) reverse(x);
using ll=long long;
using vl=vector<ll>;
using vvl=vector<vector<ll>>;
using pl=pair<ll,ll>;
using vpl=vector<pl>;
using vvpl=vector<vpl>;
const ll MOD=1000000007;
const ll MOD9=998244353;
const int inf=1e9+10;
const ll INF=4e18;
const ll dy[9]={1,0,-1,0,1,1,-1,-1,0};
const ll dx[9]={0,-1,0,1,1,-1,1,-1,0};
template<class T> inline bool chmin(T& a, T b) {
    if (a > b) {
        a = b;
        return true;
    }
    return false;
}
template<class T> inline bool chmax(T& a, T b) {
    if (a < b) {
        a = b;
        return true;
    }
    return false;
}


template <class Cap> struct Dinic{
  public:
    Dinic() : _n(0) {}
    Dinic(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);
        queue<int> que;

        auto bfs = [&]() {
            std::fill(level.begin(), level.end(), -1);
            level[s] = 0;
            while(!que.empty())que.pop();
            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);
        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;
};


int main(){
    ll h,w;cin >> h >>w;
    vector<string> g(h);
    rep(i,h)cin >> g[i];
    Dinic<ll> dn(h*w+2);
    ll s=h*w,t=h*w+1;
    rep(i,h)rep(j,w){
        if(g[i][j]=='#')continue;
        if((i+j)%2){
            dn.add_edge(s,i*w+j,1);
        }
        else{
            dn.add_edge(i*w+j,t,1);
            rep(k,4){
                ll nx=i+dx[k],ny=j+dy[k];
                if(nx<0||ny<0||nx>=h||ny>=w)continue;
                if(g[nx][ny]=='#')continue;
                dn.add_edge(nx*w+ny,i*w+j,1);
            }
        }
    }
    cout << dn.flow(s,t) <<endl;
    for(auto e:dn.edges()){
        if(e.from==s||e.to==t||e.flow==0)continue;
        ll a=e.from,b=e.to;if(a>b)swap(a,b);
        if(a/w==b/w){
            g[a/w][a%w]='>';g[b/w][b%w]='<';
        }
        else{
            g[a/w][a%w]='v';g[b/w][b%w]='^';
        }
    }
    rep(i,h)cout << g[i] <<endl;
}

Measured memory_bytes: 6240