The API supports two methods for continuing action=query when more results are available, the simple method[1] and the raw method.[2] The raw method is currently the default for historical reasons, but as the simple method is much easier for new users to use *correctly* that really should be the default.

To make this transition easy for clients, the current plan is to make the change on the following timetable:

* Starting with 1.24wmf22,[3][4] action=query will recognize a "rawcontinue" boolean input parameter. Clients that wish to continue using the raw method for continuation should begin supplying this parameter with all action=query queries.

* Sometime during the MediaWiki 1.25 development cycle, the API will begin reporting warnings when neither "continue" nor "rawcontinue" are supplied with action=query.[5]

* Sometime during the MediaWiki 1.26 development cycle, simplified continuation will become the default.[6]

Note this is also documented at <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/API_roadmap#Simplified_continuation_as_default_for_action.3Dquery>. See other sections on that page for additional planned API changes.

 [1]: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Query#Continuing_queries
 [2]: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Raw_Query_Continue
 [3]: https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/154092/
 [4]: See https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_1.24/Roadmap for the schedule of deployments to WMF wikis.
 [5]: https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/160222/
 [6]: https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/160223/

--
Brad Jorsch (Anomie)
Software Engineer
Wikimedia Foundation