#include "bits/stdc++.h"
using namespace std;
using     ll=long long;
using    vll=vector<   ll>;
using   vvll=vector<  vll>;
using  vvvll=vector< vvll>;
using vvvvll=vector<vvvll>;
using pll=pair<ll,ll>; using tll=tuple<ll,ll,ll>; using qll=tuple<ll,ll,ll,ll>;

constexpr ll INF = 1LL << 60;
struct Fast{ Fast(){ cin.tie(0); ios::sync_with_stdio(false); cout<<fixed<<setprecision(numeric_limits<double>::max_digits10); } } fast;
#define REPS(i, S, E) for (ll i = (S); i <= (E); i++)
#define REP(i, N) REPS(i, 0, (N)-1)
#define DEPS(i, S, E) for (ll i = (E); i >= (S); i--)
#define DEP(i, N) DEPS(i, 0, (N)-1)
#define rep(i, S, E)  for (ll i = (S); i <= (E); i++)
#define dep(i, E, S)  for (ll i = (E); i >= (S); i--)
#define each(e, v) for (auto&& e : v)
#define ALL(v) (v).begin(), (v).end()
#define RALL(v) (v).rbegin(), (v).rend()
template<class T> inline bool chmax(T &a, T b) { if (a < b) { a = b; return true; }return false; }
template<class T> inline bool chmin(T &a, T b) { if (a > b) { a = b; return true; }return false; }
template<class T> inline T MaxE(vector<T>&v,ll S,ll E){ T m=v[S]; rep(i,S,E)chmax(m,v[i]); return m; }
template<class T> inline T MinE(vector<T>&v,ll S,ll E){ T m=v[S]; rep(i,S,E)chmin(m,v[i]); return m; }
template<class T> inline T MaxE(vector<T> &v) { return MaxE(v,0,(ll)v.size()-1); }
template<class T> inline T MinE(vector<T> &v) { return MinE(v,0,(ll)v.size()-1); }
template<class T> inline T Sum(vector<T> &v,ll S,ll E){ T s=T(); rep(i,S,E)s+=v[i]; return s; }
template<class T> inline T Sum(vector<T> &v) { return Sum(v,0,v.size()-1); }
template<class T> inline ll sz(T &v){ return (ll)v.size(); }
inline ll CEIL(ll a,ll b){ return (a<0) ? -(-a/b) : (a+b-1)/b; }
inline ll FLOOR(ll a,ll b){ return -CEIL(-a,b); }

//vector用テンプレート
template<class T> inline vector<T>& operator+=(vector<T> &a,const vector<T> &b){ for (ll i=0; i<(ll)a.size(); i++) a[i]+=b[i];  return a; }
template<class T> inline vector<T>& operator-=(vector<T> &a,const vector<T> &b){ for (ll i=0; i<(ll)a.size(); i++) a[i]-=b[i];  return a; }
template<class T> inline vector<T>& operator*=(vector<T> &a,const vector<T> &b){ for (ll i=0; i<(ll)a.size(); i++) a[i]*=b[i];  return a; }
template<class T> inline vector<T>& operator/=(vector<T> &a,const vector<T> &b){ for (ll i=0; i<(ll)a.size(); i++) a[i]/=b[i];  return a; }
template<class T> inline vector<T>& operator%=(vector<T> &a,const vector<T> &b){ for (ll i=0; i<(ll)a.size(); i++) a[i]%=b[i];  return a; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T>& operator+=(vector<T> &a,S b){ for (T &e: a) e+=b;  return a; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T>& operator-=(vector<T> &a,S b){ for (T &e: a) e-=b;  return a; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T>& operator*=(vector<T> &a,S b){ for (T &e: a) e*=b;  return a; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T>& operator/=(vector<T> &a,S b){ for (T &e: a) e/=b;  return a; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T>& operator%=(vector<T> &a,S b){ for (T &e: a) e%=b;  return a; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T> operator+(const vector<T> &a,S b){ vector<T> c=a; return c+=b; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T> operator-(const vector<T> &a,S b){ vector<T> c=a; return c-=b; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T> operator*(const vector<T> &a,S b){ vector<T> c=a; return c*=b; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T> operator/(const vector<T> &a,S b){ vector<T> c=a; return c/=b; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T> operator%(const vector<T> &a,S b){ vector<T> c=a; return c%=b; }
template<class T,class S> inline vector<T> operator-(S b,const vector<T> &a){ vector<T> c=-a; return c+=b; }
template<class T> inline vector<T> operator-(const vector<T> &a){ vector<T> c=a; return c*=(-1); }
template<class T> inline ostream &operator<<(ostream &os,const vector<T> &a){ for (ll i=0; i<(ll)a.size(); i++) os<<(i>0?" ":"")<<a[i];  return os; }

#if 1
#include <atcoder/all>
using namespace atcoder;
#endif


void solve()
{
	ll n,m;  cin >> n >> m;
	vector<string> S(n);  rep(i,0,n-1){ string s_; cin>>s_; S[i]=s_; }

	mf_graph<ll> graph((int)(n*m+2));
	int s=int(n*m);
	int t=int(n*m+1);

	rep(i,0,n-1)rep(j,0,m-1){
		int v=int(i*m+j);
		if ((i+j)%2==0){
			graph.add_edge(s,v,1);
		}
		else{
			graph.add_edge(v,t,1);
		}
	}
	vll di{0,1,0,-1};
	vll dj{1,0,-1,0};
	rep(i,0,n-1)rep(j,0,m-1){
		if ((i+j)%2==1)continue;
		if (S[i][j]=='#')continue;
		int v=int(i*m+j);
		rep(didx,0,3){
			ll ii=i+di[didx];
			ll jj=j+dj[didx];
			if (ii<0 or n<=ii or jj<0 or m<=jj)continue;
			if (S[ii][jj]=='#')continue;

			int vv=int(ii*m+jj);
			graph.add_edge(v,vv,1);
		}
	}

	ll mxflow=graph.flow(s,t);

	vector<string> ans=S;
	auto egs=graph.edges();
	each(e,egs){
		if (e.flow==0)continue;
		if (e.from==s)continue;
		if (e.to==t)continue;

		ll v=e.from;
		ll vv=e.to;
		ll i=v/m;
		ll j=v%m;
		ll ii=vv/m;
		ll jj=vv%m;
		if (i+1==ii){
			ans[i][j]='v';
			ans[ii][jj]='^';
		}
		else if (i-1==ii){
			ans[ii][jj]='v';
			ans[i][j]='^';
		}
		else if (j+1==jj){
			ans[i][j]='>';
			ans[ii][jj]='<';
		}
		else{
			ans[ii][jj]='>';
			ans[i][j]='<';
		}
	}
	cout << mxflow << '\n';
	each(e,ans) cout << e << '\n';
}


int main(){
#if 1
	solve();
#else
	ll t;  cin >> t;
	rep(i, 0, t-1){
		solve();
	}
#endif
	return 0;
}


Measured memory_bytes: 6200