def to_string_monkey(df, highlight_cols=None, latex=False):
    """  monkey patch to pandas to highlight the maximum value in specified
    cols of a row

    Example:
        >>> from utool.experimental.pandas_highlight import *
        >>> import pandas as pd
        >>> df = pd.DataFrame(
        >>>     np.array([[ 0.9,         0.86886931,  0.86842073,  0.9       ],
        >>>               [ 0.34196218,  0.34289191,  0.34206377,  0.34252863],
        >>>               [ 0.34827074,  0.34827074,  0.34827074,  0.34827074],
        >>>               [ 0.76979453,  0.77214855,  0.77547518,  0.38850962]]),
        >>>     columns=['sum(fgweights)', 'sum(weighted_ratio)', 'len(matches)', 'score_lnbnn_1vM'],
        >>>     index=['match_state(match-v-rest)', 'match_state(nomatch-v-rest)', 'match_state(notcomp-v-rest)', 'photobomb_state']
        >>> )
        >>> highlight_cols = 'all'
        >>> print(to_string_monkey(df, highlight_cols))
        >>> print(to_string_monkey(df, highlight_cols, latex=True))

    ut.editfile(pd.io.formats.printing.adjoin)
    """
    try:
        import pandas as pd
        import utool as ut
        import numpy as np
        import six
        if isinstance(highlight_cols, six.string_types) and highlight_cols == 'all':
            highlight_cols = np.arange(len(df.columns))
        # kwds = dict(buf=None, columns=None, col_space=None, header=True,
        #             index=True, na_rep='NaN', formatters=None,
        #             float_format=None, sparsify=None, index_names=True,
        #             justify=None, line_width=None, max_rows=None,
        #             max_cols=None, show_dimensions=False)
        # self = pd.formats.format.DataFrameFormatter(df, **kwds)
        try:
            self = pd.formats.format.DataFrameFormatter(df)
        except AttributeError:
            self = pd.io.formats.format.DataFrameFormatter(df)

        self.highlight_cols = highlight_cols

        def monkey(self):
            return monkey_to_str_columns(self, latex=latex)

        ut.inject_func_as_method(self, monkey, '_to_str_columns', override=True, force=True)

        def strip_ansi(text):
            import re
            ansi_escape = re.compile(r'\x1b[^m]*m')
            return ansi_escape.sub('', text)

        def justify_ansi(self, texts, max_len, mode='right'):
            if mode == 'left':
                return [x.ljust(max_len + (len(x) - len(strip_ansi(x)))) for x in texts]
            elif mode == 'center':
                return [x.center(max_len + (len(x) - len(strip_ansi(x)))) for x in texts]
            else:
                return [x.rjust(max_len + (len(x) - len(strip_ansi(x)))) for x in texts]
        ut.inject_func_as_method(self.adj, justify_ansi, 'justify', override=True, force=True)

        def strlen_ansii(self, text):
            return pd.compat.strlen(strip_ansi(text), encoding=self.encoding)
        ut.inject_func_as_method(self.adj, strlen_ansii, 'len', override=True, force=True)

        if False:
            strlen = ut.partial(strlen_ansii, self.adj)  # NOQA
            justfunc = ut.partial(justify_ansi, self.adj)  # NOQA
            # Essentially what to_string does
            strcols = monkey_to_str_columns(self)
            # texts = strcols[2]
            space = 1
            lists = strcols
            str_ = self.adj.adjoin(space, *lists)
            print(str_)
            print(strip_ansi(str_))
        self.to_string()
        result = self.buf.getvalue()
        # hack because adjoin is not working correctly with injected strlen
        result = '\n'.join([x.rstrip() for x in result.split('\n')])
        return result
    except Exception as ex:
        ut.printex('pandas monkey-patch is broken: {}'.format(str(ex)),
                   tb=True, iswarning=True)
        return str(df)